ZAGREB, July 23 (Hina) - A border agreement between Croatia and Slovenia, initialled by the two governments on Friday, is of strategic importance for our country because it solves a big issue, which has been out of the public eye, a
Croatian government source said on Monday. "The current, unorganised situation is unsustainable, ...and this ostensible peace can change to our detriment," the same source said adding "Croatia is going to Brussels through Slovenia" and it was important that cooperation between the two countries be conducted in a friendly manner, and the border be soft and not firm. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, stressed Croatian government officials believed that the international arbitration could give less favourable results for Croatia. The government source said the agreement was in Croatia's national interest, adding "this was a patriotic decision". Contentious
ZAGREB, July 23 (Hina) - A border agreement between Croatia and
Slovenia, initialled by the two governments on Friday, is of
strategic importance for our country because it solves a big issue,
which has been out of the public eye, a Croatian government source
said on Monday.
"The current, unorganised situation is unsustainable, ...and this
ostensible peace can change to our detriment," the same source said
adding "Croatia is going to Brussels through Slovenia" and it was
important that cooperation between the two countries be conducted
in a friendly manner, and the border be soft and not firm.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, stressed Croatian
government officials believed that the international arbitration
could give less favourable results for Croatia.
The government source said the agreement was in Croatia's national
interest, adding "this was a patriotic decision".
Contentious issues on the land frontier are entirely solved to
Croatia's benefit and Croatian citizens did not lose ownership
rights, while a compromise was reached in the issue of the
demarcation of the territorial sea between the two countries. Also
established is a corridor which provides Slovenia with exit to open
sea and international waters. Croatia did not lose anything, the
corridor borders with Croatia's territorial waters on both sides.
The same source firmly dismissed a possibility that the agreement
could present a precedent for the solving of the Prevlaka issue,
"because for us Prevlaka is absolutely a security (and not a border)
issue." According to the source, the path toward the ratification
of the agreement will be very difficult, and gaining the public
support in Croatia is of crucial importance.
(hina) it sb