CROATIAN AND SLOVENE FOREIGN MINISTERS TO DISCUSS OPEN ISSUES

ZAGREB, Nov 30 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene foreign ministers Mate Granic and Boris Frlec will on Monday hold talks at the Strmol castle, near the Ljubljana airport, about open issues in relations between the two countries. "Ministers Granic and Frlec will meet today at about noon to discuss all open issues in the relations between Croatia and Slovenia," spokesman for the Croatian Foreign Ministry told Hina on Monday. He added that the two ministers will, among other issues, discuss the land border between the two states. Relations between Croatia and Slovenia since the establishment of independence of both countries are burdened with open issues regarding borders, property, the Krsko nuclear power plant and debts of the Ljubljanska Banka to Croatian clients. Following recent meetings in Zagreb during the Central European Initiative Summit of Slovene Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa, negotiations on the open issues have been intensified. Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges and his Slovene counterpart Metod Dragonja reached an agreement recently that the problem of the Krsko nuclear plant be solved on the principle of co-ownership, while finance ministers Borislav Skegro and Mitja Gaspari agreed that the issue of the Ljubljanska Banka be solved by arbitration. Both sides claim that the agreement on property rights issues has been harmonised and is awaiting signing. (hina) lml