ZAGREB, Aug 16 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told a news conference in Zagreb on Friday it was evident that an initialled border deal with Slovenia could not be put into force, and that this became obvious when the two
governments failed to sign it and the two parliaments to ratify it.
ZAGREB, Aug 16 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told a news
conference in Zagreb on Friday it was evident that an initialled
border deal with Slovenia could not be put into force, and that this
became obvious when the two governments failed to sign it and the
two parliaments to ratify it. #L#
Asked if he thought he made a mistake when he signed the border deal
with Slovene counterpart Janez Drnovsek last year, Racan said
history would evaluate if the agreement was good or not.
"The agreement was an attempt to settle all open issues between the
two states at once, and that compromise and our yielding in Piran
Bay should have been viewed also from this point," said Racan.
He added the agreement became irrelevant when it became evident
that all problems could not be resolved in one fell swoop.
According to that deal, Slovenia was to get 80 percent of waters in
Piran Bay and a 3.6 km sea strait.
Racan said the agreement was not the cause of the recent incidents
in the bay as Croatia and Slovenia argued about the sea border even
before the deal was initialled.
He assessed the situation in the bay today was better and hoped it
would remain so. He stressed that both sides had to invest efforts,
particularly those who were involved in the incidents.
Racan maintained that the incidents of the past two weeks, when
Slovene fishing boats entered Croatian territorial waters in Piran
Bay on five occasions, twice accompanied by a Slovene police boat,
were harmful for both countries and their neighbourly relations, in
which he said both should be "very interested."
"The Croatian side keeps the situation under control and we are
certain that we are entitled to the position we are defending,"
Racan said, quoting Article 15 of the UN Convention on Maritime Law,
which says the sea border goes along the middle of the bay.
He said quoting this Article made sense given that the two countries
had been unable to settle border issues with an agreement, and had
not yet agreed about arbitration either.
As a possible solution until a final decision is made, Racan
mentioned "freezing" the border issue, which he said would prevent
incidents.
Racan hoped the incidents in Piran Bay would not escalate further
before Oct. 1, when a Croatian-Slovene agreement on local border
traffic and cooperation might go into force.
He recalled that this deal regulated the issue of fishing and saw no
reason why it should not be put into force, given that it would
enable fishermen on both sides to fish in the other state's waters
on a daily basis with a total of five trawlers and 20 other boats
with nets.
"We, therefore, expect that the incidents won't escalate, which
primarily depends on the Slovene side," said Racan.
In case they do resume, Croatia will consider all the measures at
its disposal, the PM said, but stressed that right now, Croatia
wanted to take the issue of the agenda peacefully.
Racan declined to comment on the reasons of Slovenia's hesitation
to have open issues settled through international arbitration.
Croatia is ready for that step and would accept the results of the
arbitration, he said.
Asked if the government would like an economic belt in the Adriatic,
Racan said that in a closed sea like the Adriatic, a decision to that
effect might bring Croatia into conflict with Italy which has so far
opposed the economic belt notion.
Asked about the government's position regarding a US offer for the
closure of a deal with Croatia on the non-extradition of US citizens
to the International Criminal Court, Racan said the government was
considering it.
"We hope our friends in Washington and Brussels will understand how
delicate this issue is and our need to consider it before giving an
answer," said Racan.
The PM said he agreed with the primate of the Croatian Catholic
Church, Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, who yesterday lamented
the low birth-rate in Croatia. Racan said this issue was indeed
cause for concern, but criticised attempts to solve it "with mere
politicking."
As for Bozanic's claim that the assistance state institutions give
children and families is more like charity that just compensation,
Racan said he concurred that spending on families was insufficient,
but that in the current economic and social situation it could
hardly be higher.
Racan said that spending on maternity leave and child's allowance
in 1999 totalled some 1.8 billion kuna (EUR243.2 million) as
against more than three billion (EUR405.4 million) in 2001.
Spending per child in 1999 was below 40,000 kuna (EUR5,400), but
exceeded 80,000 in 2001, he added.
It is not enough, but given the difficult situation the government
is not ashamed, the PM said.
(hina) ha