PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKERS APPLAUD INITIALLING OF BORDER AGREEMENT

ZAGREB, July 20 (Hina) - The Croatian and Slovene parliamentary speakers said on Friday the initialling of a border agreement was important for relations between the two countries, and voiced hope the two parliaments would ratify the agreement soon. "The courage the two prime ministers have shown in dealing with all issues, particularly border-related ones, gives hope for optimism," Croatia's Zlatko Tomcic told reporters after an informal meeting with Slovene counterpart Borut Pahor. "We have to be realists... realise that this agreement comes into the parliaments for ratification. I have no illusions of it being an easy job," he added. The agreement was initialled in Otocec ob Krki, Slovenia, earlier today by Olga Kresovic Rogulja, chairwoman of the Croatian government's commission for borders, and her Slovene colleague Miha Pogacnik. The initialling had been announced by the two prime ministers, Croatia's Ivica Racan and Slovenia's Janez Drnovsek, on Thursday, after both governments had okayed drafts of a border agreement and another on Krsko, a jointly owned nuclear power plant. Tomcic said it was important to assure both the Croatian and Slovene public that the agreements must be adopted without outside mediation. Pahor said he was satisfied the Slovene parliament had ratified on Thursday a local border traffic with Croatia which the Croatian parliament had ratified back in 1997. "It was an important political test, which was passed with outstanding political support," he added. "We would like both parliaments to conduct debates and pass decisions quickly and properly... I am confident it will be completed successfully and that we shall make two and not one step forward," said Pahor. While in Zagreb, the Slovene parliamentary speaker also held informal talks with Croatia's PM Racan. (hina) ha