RACAN: BORDER DEAL NEITHER GIVES NOR TAKES ANYTHING FROM ANYBODY

ZAGREB, Sept 19 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Ivica Racan reiterated on Wednesday that nothing was lost or gained by a border agreement between Croatia and Slovenia, and added that the deal had not been signed yet. During question time at the parliament, PM Racan stressed he had held no talks with anybody from the international community on Croatia's ties with Slovenia and their bids to solve contentious issues. He thus indirectly removed doubts that Croatia accepted such a border agreement with Ljubljana owing to some concrete promises by the international community. Anto Kovacevic of the Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU) asked what concretely the international community had promised to Croatia in return for the adoption of the border agreement. The leader of this right-wing party asserted that under the deal, Croatia would get 19.8 and Slovenia 80.2 percent of the Bay of Piran, and wondered whether the Piran model would set an example for the settlement of other border disputes. "I have not spoken with anybody from the international community about the relations with Slovenia and the need for the two countries to solve contentious issues, but I have spoken about it with many people in Croatia and with Slovene officials," Racan said. The border agreement was initialled as my cabinet assessed that it was in Croatia's strategic interest to settle open issues with Ljubljana, Racan said. "We have heard that Slovenia has the same stand on the matter," he added. PM Racan reiterated that it was in Croatia's interest to cherish relations with the European Union and those countries that are on the path to the European Union. He added that the Sabor would soon discuss the initialled border agreement and the overall bilateral relations. (hina) ms