SLOVENIA TO BENEFIT FROM PROPERTY-RIGHTS AGREEMENT UNLESS SAVING ISSUE IS SOLVED - SAYS SOURCE

ZAGREB, Mar 1 (Hina) - The Croatia-Slovenia agreement on property- rights relations could be harmful for Croatia and useful for Slovenia unless the debt Slovenia's Ljubljanska Bank owes Croatian depositors is settled, a source close to the Croatian government told Hina on Wednesday. The agreement came into force on February 23. Both countries assessed Croatia's acceptance of the agreement as a "gesture of good will on the part of Croatia's new government," and as a possibility to settle other open issues between the two countries. The agreement puts out of force limitations in the management of property which individuals and companies from Slovenia possessed in Croatia before it achieved independence earlier last decade, and vice versa. The source close to the government says Croatia has made a concession to Slovenia with the property-rights relations agreement. Slovene property in Croatia is far more extensive than Croatian property in Slovenia, the source said, adding the agreement, or any other, does not cover other major property disputes between the two countries. These disputes refer to a DM300 million debt Ljubljanska Bank owes Croatian depositors, and an ownership dispute regarding Krsko, a nuclear power plant Croatia and Slovenia built on Slovene territory 20 years ago with joint funds. Croatia's official position since the property-rights relations agreement has come into force has been that the new government has not made a concession to the neighbouring country. Croatia expects that after the agreement is ratified, Slovenia will ratify an agreement on local border traffic and cooperation between the two countries, in which Zagreb is especially interested. (hina) ha jn