LJUBLJANA, Dec 21 (Hina) - Talks on open issues between Croatia and Slovenia will probably start at the level of experts, Croatian Ambassador to Slovenia Celestin Sardelic, who handed his credentials to Slovene President Milan Kucan
on Wednesday, told Slovene Television yesterday. In an interview broadcast in last night's 'Odmevi' programme, Sardelic commented on a recent diplomatic note the Slovene Foreign Ministry sent to the Croatian Embassy regarding the 'Joras case', which Croatia refused, and on relations between the two countries and their media coverage. The 'Joras case', which caused a diplomatic dispute between the two countries early this month, involved Jozko Joras, a Slovene citizen living in the village of Mlini, on the Croatian side of the Croatian-Slovene border, who refused to pay customs duties for a washing machine he bought in Slovenia. Joras also refused to appear in court for custo
LJUBLJANA, Dec 21 (Hina) - Talks on open issues between Croatia and
Slovenia will probably start at the level of experts, Croatian
Ambassador to Slovenia Celestin Sardelic, who handed his
credentials to Slovene President Milan Kucan on Wednesday, told
Slovene Television yesterday.
In an interview broadcast in last night's 'Odmevi' programme,
Sardelic commented on a recent diplomatic note the Slovene Foreign
Ministry sent to the Croatian Embassy regarding the 'Joras case',
which Croatia refused, and on relations between the two countries
and their media coverage.
The 'Joras case', which caused a diplomatic dispute between the two
countries early this month, involved Jozko Joras, a Slovene citizen
living in the village of Mlini, on the Croatian side of the
Croatian-Slovene border, who refused to pay customs duties for a
washing machine he bought in Slovenia. Joras also refused to appear
in court for customs violation negating Croatia's sovereignty over
that part of territory but was later brought before the court by the
police.
Asked when a meeting, which would yield progress in the resolution
of open issues, would be held, Sardelic said: "I cannot give a
precise answer as to when that will happen but I suppose talks will
be held first at the level of experts, then at the level of
ministries and, simultaneously or subsequently, at the level of the
Slovene and Croatian state leadership."
Commenting on the claim that relations between the two countries
have grown colder prior to his taking his new office, including
Croatia's rejection of the Slovene note regarding the change of
number plates on house in villages south of the Dragonja River,
Sardelic said Croatia had been put in a position where it could not
do anything else but refuse the note.
Answering to the claim that it was believed in Slovenia that Croatia
was conducting a media and diplomatic campaign against Slovenia,
Sardelic said: "If you have carefully followed the last two months
in the Croatian media, (you can say) there were not so many
irritating, tense or unpleasant headlines. An objective analysis
would prove, I believe, that there was a note of restraint on
Croatia's part."
(hina) rml