ZAGREB, Mar 12 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa on Friday told reporters obvious progress had been made in all fields obstructing Croatian-Slovene relations. Matesa spoke to a press conference following a meeting with Slovene
Premier Janez Drnovsek in Otocec ob Krki, Slovenia. The problems on which the two countries have been unable to adjust their views for a long time include border issues, especially in Piran Bay, the jointly-owned Krsko nuclear power plant, a property relations agreement, and the unreturned deposits of Croatian depositors in Slovenia's Ljubljanska Bank. "Evident progress has been made in all fields which obstructed, or still obstruct Croatian-Slovene relations," Matesa told reporters. He assessed the border issue was very delicate for both countries, but added expert teams were tenaciously working towards its resolution. He believed "good solutions exist" for the issue. "We concluded
ZAGREB, Mar 12 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa on Friday
told reporters obvious progress had been made in all fields
obstructing Croatian-Slovene relations.
Matesa spoke to a press conference following a meeting with Slovene
Premier Janez Drnovsek in Otocec ob Krki, Slovenia.
The problems on which the two countries have been unable to adjust
their views for a long time include border issues, especially in
Piran Bay, the jointly-owned Krsko nuclear power plant, a property
relations agreement, and the unreturned deposits of Croatian
depositors in Slovenia's Ljubljanska Bank.
"Evident progress has been made in all fields which obstructed, or
still obstruct Croatian-Slovene relations," Matesa told
reporters.
He assessed the border issue was very delicate for both countries,
but added expert teams were tenaciously working towards its
resolution. He believed "good solutions exist" for the issue.
"We concluded that our lasting commitment is to abstain from
anything that might lead to incident situations which might in any
way damage our friendly and good neighbourly relations," Matesa
said.
According to Croatia's Premier, progress has also been made in the
work of expert groups with regard to the Krsko plant. At present,
the teams "are resolving technical issues related to societies'
balances and they can be expected to propose adequate solutions in
the near future."
Speaking about issues relating to the property relations
agreement, Matesa said the signing at an expert level would take
place in Zagreb on March 22.
With regard to Ljubljanska Bank, Matesa said he and Drnovsek agreed
it would be best for the interests of both countries to seek the
opinion of an international institution. Without prejudging a
solution, it would help show "whether our knowledge about the
problem is on the trace of what world experts think and if they can
help us," Matesa said.
"Relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of
Slovenia do not depend on contentious issues, we are capable of
developing these relations despite the contentious issues, while
simultaneously eliminating these issues," Matesa said.
Slovene Premier Drnovsek said he and Matesa had not met to sign
anything. He assessed today's meeting as very concrete and intense
since, he said, "all open issues are well-known" and exist since the
break-up of the former Yugoslav federation. This latter fact, he
said, is the reason why they are legally and financially "very
complicated."
"With this meeting we tried to assess, and then incite the search
for a solution to all issues," Drnovsek said.
He stressed the two countries' views regarding some issues, such as
the property relations agreement and Krsko, had significantly come
closer to an agreement. The agreement to include a third party, the
International Monetary Fund, in the Ljubljanska Bank issue, "will
give an objective opinion about the resolution of the problem,"
Drnovsek said.
He fully agreed with Matesa that "there must be no incidents and new
situations which would divide the citizens on both sides of the
border."
"Croatia and Slovenia are two neighbouring, friendly countries,
which entered together the path of independence, the path of
democracy and of the market system. They must pursue along this
path, and base their relations on the benefits of cooperation, and
not on the still extant open issues," the Slovene Premier said.
Drnovsek sees grounds for optimism about prosperous Croatian-
Slovene relations in the future also in the fact that Slovenia "does
not have as many signed agreements with any other country as with
Croatia."
"Meetings like the one today have become regular and they are the
way to effectively prevent possible problems and conflicts, and to
seek new forms of cooperation," he added.
Drnovsek said he had invited Matesa for a working visit to Slovenia,
to be scheduled "as soon as possible" and at which "some things
could be signed, like agreements on property relations and the
Krsko nuclear power plant." Matesa accepted the invitation with
pleasure.
Asked to comment on recent statements made by the Slovene President
which are almost contrary to his own, Drnovsek said "there are no
differences, maybe different interpretations of some
statements."
(hina) ha