Slovenia accepts EU mediation in border dispute with Croatia

Source: Xinhua | 02-27-2009 09:50

BELGRADE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian government accepted in principle the European Union's proposal to settle the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute through mediation, Slovenia's Prime Minister Borut Pahor said on Thursday.

Addressing the press after the cabinet session, Pahor said he saw the EU initiative as a process during which mediators would help the two countries define the border at sea and on the land, the Slovenian news agency STA reported.

This is Slovenia's response to EU Enlargement Commissioner OlliRehn's proposal for European Commission facilitation in the dispute.

According to Pahor, Slovenia's nod in principle means "exactly what Rehn expected from Slovenia and Croatia -- an answer on whether we support the idea that the reservations Slovenia expressed in Croatia's EU accession talks ... are dealt with by tackling the border issue through mediation."

This is needed to allow Rehn to start talks with possible mediators, Pahor said.

But he did not want to go into the details of the mediation procedure, saying that Slovenia must wait for Croatia's government to decide on Rehn's proposal.

Slovenia, which joined the EU in 2004, has not been able to finalize its land and sea borders with Croatia, its fellow former Yugoslav Republic, since both declared independence in 1991.

Croatia has so far shunned the idea, preferring to stick with its proposal that the border dispute be put to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The nod to mediation comes just two days after Pahor held his first meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. He said the meeting "raises my hopes that we can make headway in the coming months."

The European Commission proposed mediation after Croatia's EU accession talks were brought to a standstill in December due to Slovenia's reservations on some chapters in which Croatia submitted documents that Slovenia deems prejudge the course of the disputed border.

Editor:Zhang Yun