BREGANA, July 21 (Hina) - The Slovene government supports Croatia's joining the trilateral cooperation between Hungary, Italy and Slovenia, Slovene Foreign Minister Lojze Peterle said in Bregana on Friday, following an informal meting
with his Croatian counterpart Tonino Picula. "Slovenia supports Croatia's expectations to join the trilateral group Hungary-Italy-Slovenia... We will be very pleased when Croatia becomes part of that initiative," Peterle said. Picula thanked Peterle for his offer for Slovenia, which is at an advanced stage of negotiations on joining the European Union, to help Croatia with its negotiating experience. "We are now forming a negotiating team and Slovenia's experience will be valuable at a later stage," Picula said. The two ministers met for an informal working lunch at the restaurant 'Kalin' on the Croatian-Slovene border. According to Picula, discussed was also the problem of th
BREGANA, July 21 (Hina) - The Slovene government supports Croatia's
joining the trilateral cooperation between Hungary, Italy and
Slovenia, Slovene Foreign Minister Lojze Peterle said in Bregana on
Friday, following an informal meting with his Croatian counterpart
Tonino Picula.
"Slovenia supports Croatia's expectations to join the trilateral
group Hungary-Italy-Slovenia... We will be very pleased when
Croatia becomes part of that initiative," Peterle said.
Picula thanked Peterle for his offer for Slovenia, which is at an
advanced stage of negotiations on joining the European Union, to
help Croatia with its negotiating experience.
"We are now forming a negotiating team and Slovenia's experience
will be valuable at a later stage," Picula said.
The two ministers met for an informal working lunch at the
restaurant 'Kalin' on the Croatian-Slovene border.
According to Picula, discussed was also the problem of the
'Schengen regime', which Slovenia will introduce on its border in
September.
"The possibility of a separate regime for Croatian citizens at the
Slovene-Croatian border has been indicated," Picula said.
The two ministers said they strongly supported the two countries'
efforts to adopt a solution for the problem of the Krsko nuclear
power plant.
"We have been assured that we are not far from an agreement and that
this issue is closest to a final solution," Picula said.
The two officials also confirmed that they had discussed the
problem of Ljubljanska Bank depositors from Croatia.
"For the first time we have discussed the social dimension of that
question... We want the social component to be taken into account in
the continuation of talks," Peterle said.
Picula said he was especially pleased to hear some ideas from his
Slovene colleague regarding the debt to Croatian depositors.
Peterle said his government would reconsider the construction of a
section of the Pyhrn highway which runs through Slovenia. "We are
encouraged by these new views of the Slovene government," Picula
said.
Peterle and Picula said the possibility for Slovenia to participate
in a summit of former Yugoslav states, to be held in Zagreb in
November, was still open. In case the conference is held in a
favourable political context, Slovenia will participate, Picula
said.
(hina) mm rml