NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Hina) - Croatia's permanent representative at the United Nations, Ivan Simonovic, said his country on Friday notified the UN Security Council of its intention "to permanently open" the border crossings of Debeli
Brijeg and Konfin on the border with Montenegro. In a statement to Hina, Simonovic said the decision was connected with a resolution on Prevlaka (Croatia's southernmost peninsula), adopted yesterday by the Security Council, which had made slight but positive progress. "We forwarded today to the Security Council a letter announcing our intention to permanently open the border crossings of Konfin and Debeli Brijeg. In this way we are sending a clear message to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the international community - a message of openness and readiness to cooperate, but also a message saying Croatian borders are recognised and we are not giving the
NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Hina) - Croatia's permanent representative at the
United Nations, Ivan Simonovic, said his country on Friday notified
the UN Security Council of its intention "to permanently open" the
border crossings of Debeli Brijeg and Konfin on the border with
Montenegro.
In a statement to Hina, Simonovic said the decision was connected
with a resolution on Prevlaka (Croatia's southernmost peninsula),
adopted yesterday by the Security Council, which had made slight
but positive progress.
"We forwarded today to the Security Council a letter announcing our
intention to permanently open the border crossings of Konfin and
Debeli Brijeg. In this way we are sending a clear message to the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the international community - a
message of openness and readiness to cooperate, but also a message
saying Croatian borders are recognised and we are not giving them
up", Simonovic said.
According to Simonovic, the fact that the Security Council had
welcomed Croatia's decision to open border crossings on the border
with Montenegro during the All Saints and Christmas holidays,
confirmed Croatia's territorial integrity and international
borders.
Speaking about the resolution, which extends the mandate of UN
observers on Prevlaka, Simonovic said that along with earlier
recognition in principle, the Security Council now concretely
defined its standpoint on where the border between Croatia and
Yugoslavia was.
The resolution clearly determines Debeli Brijeg and Konfin as
points on the international border between the two countries, he
said.
Simonovic believed the proposed reduction of UN observers on
Prevlaka should be understood as a symbolic move, especially as it
was connected with the wish for the UN mission on Prevlaka to end as
soon as possible.
By reducing the number of UN observers on Prevlaka, the Security
Council has accepted a recent proposal by Croatia that this kind of
pressure be exerted on Belgrade authorities to make them
participate in constructive talks.
"The process of taking over full control over Prevlaka is slower
than we would like it to be, but, as long as progress is positive, it
pays to be patient", Simonovic said adding he hoped Croatia was near
"the end of the path".
(hina) mm rml