"I would neither dramatise nor underestimate this situation. I am moderately optimistic about reaching a technical agreement on the reconstruction of the dyke on the River Mura after ten days," Jansa said in an interview with the Slovene state television from government headquarters where all political parties gathered for a meeting and information about the developments on the River Mura.
Jansa said that he was in touch with Croatian officials and that according to his information the Croatian government was willing to observe his agreement with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on the reconstruction of the dyke on the Mura in the area where the border had not been defined yet.
Speaking about the deployment of a special police unit in the village of Murisce, Jansa said that the village was on Slovene territory and that his government had been forced to make that move because Croatia had started building an access road to Murisce and rebuilding the dyke on the Mura despite the recent agreement, which he said was done unilaterally and without the consent of local land owners, most of whom were Slovenes.
Asked if Slovenia would withdraw its unconditional support for Croatia's EU membership, as suggested by some, Jansa said that Croatia's EU membership was a strategic interest for Slovenia and that his government would not repeat the mistake made by the previous government which withheld its support for Croatia for some time after a 2004 border incident.
He added, however, that Slovenia would abide by bilateral agreements and expected the same from Croatia, and that unilateral moves on the border would become a thing of the past as Croatia drew closer to European standards.
Jansa said that the increased presence of Slovene police near Murisce was temporary and that a similar move had been made two weeks ago, resulting in his agreement with PM Sanader on the reconstruction of the dyke on the Mura.