PORGES - SLOVENIA UNLIKELY TO BLOCK CROATIA'S ACCESS TO WTO

ZAGREB, Feb 2 (Hina) - Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges on Tuesday told Hina it was improbable Slovenia would be able to block Croatia's access to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by conditioning access on prior regulation of property relations between the two countries. Slovene Foreign Minister Boris Frlec told Slovene weekly "Mladina" Croatia would not be able to access WTO until it resolved property relations with Slovenia. "I don't think that is very likely to happen," Porges said in response to Hina's question whether Slovenia could block Croatia's access to the WTO. Asked if Slovenia has the formal possibility of blocking access, Porges said every country partaking in the bilateral negotiations on access to the WTO, conducted in Geneva, has "technical possibilities to try to block Croatia's access to the WTO." "The specific weight held by certain countries varies," Porges emphasised however. "I would like not to believe that it is a pressure on Croatia," he said. Indications of such a standpoint were evident in negotiations on access to the WTO with Slovenia, Porges said. That would be "contrary to what the two Premiers agreed on," Porges said about Frlec's latest statement. The WTO secretariat does not treat unresolved Croatian-Slovene property issues as an obstacle to the admission of Croatia as member, Porges said, adding Croatia could be granted membership before November. (hina) ha jn