Croatia launches fresh strike in war of words with Slovenia

Slovenia is "abusing its EU presidency," Croatian diplomats say in a strongly worded attack. After Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel Tuesday said that Slovenia and the EU "do not intend to wait more than seven days" for Croatia to abolish its fishing zone in the Adriatic Sea, Zagreb has reacted, via its retired diplomats. Croatia launches fresh strike in war of words with Slovenia The Rijeka daily Novi List quoted Croatian former officials who accused their neighbor of abusing its status of the EU chair to deal with bilateral problems, "in the process breaking one of the Unions' fundamental rules." Former chief of Croatia's diplomacy Tonino Picula, accused Ljubljana of disguising its own interests with those of the EU, at the same time describing Rupel's modus operandi as being "prone to causing incidents," and adding that this "rupelesque" manner "will not succeed." Pucula also said he "personally warned of Rupel's effrontery" several years ago. Another former minister, Neven Mimica, told the daily that Slovenia's decision to issue ultimatums and deadlines "is not a Eureopean manner." "What Minister Rupel is doing is not dialogue, it's sending a message," Mimica said. As for official Zagreb's reaction, the newspaper quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying that there is "growing dissatisfaction in EU states with Rupel's behavior." After the media in Slovenia carried the report, which Novi List ran under the headline, "Picula: Croatia must damask Rupel", the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted last night. Official Ljubljana said that Croatia has "misunderstood that EU warnings were coming from Slovenia," and that, "unfortunately, such unrealistic interpretation could harm precisely Croatia itself." The ministry reminded that Zagreb suffered first EU criticism over its disputed fishing-environmental zone five years ago. As for Picula's remarks, the statement from the Slovenian MFA rejected them as "inappropriate and in poor taste," but also stressed that Slovenia, when negotiating its own EU membership, "never allowed itself to make similar comments" about a member. The statement then went on to say that Slovenia's EU presidency considers the Union's enlargement to the Western Balkans as its priority, but that "the speed of association will depend on the progress made by individual countries." "Once again we hear calls from Zagreb, this time from Mr. Picula, that we must engage in talks. This pleases the ear. Now we only have to wait for a concrete proposal from the Croatian side," the Slovenian MFA statement concluded.

Croatia launches fresh strike in war of words with Slovenia

The Rijeka daily Novi List quoted Croatian former officials who accused their neighbor of abusing its status of the EU chair to deal with bilateral problems, "in the process breaking one of the Unions' fundamental rules."

Former chief of Croatia's diplomacy Tonino Picula, accused Ljubljana of disguising its own interests with those of the EU, at the same time describing Rupel's modus operandi as being "prone to causing incidents," and adding that this "rupelesque" manner "will not succeed."

Pucula also said he "personally warned of Rupel's effrontery" several years ago.

Another former minister, Neven Mimica, told the daily that Slovenia's decision to issue ultimatums and deadlines "is not a Eureopean manner."

"What Minister Rupel is doing is not dialogue, it's sending a message," Mimica said.

As for official Zagreb's reaction, the newspaper quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying that there is "growing dissatisfaction in EU states with Rupel's behavior."

After the media in Slovenia carried the report, which Novi List ran under the headline, "Picula: Croatia must damask Rupel", the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted last night.

Official Ljubljana said that Croatia has "misunderstood that EU warnings were coming from Slovenia," and that, "unfortunately, such unrealistic interpretation could harm precisely Croatia itself."

The ministry reminded that Zagreb suffered first EU criticism over its disputed fishing-environmental zone five years ago.

As for Picula's remarks, the statement from the Slovenian MFA rejected them as "inappropriate and in poor taste," but also stressed that Slovenia, when negotiating its own EU membership, "never allowed itself to make similar comments" about a member.

The statement then went on to say that Slovenia's EU presidency considers the Union's enlargement to the Western Balkans as its priority, but that "the speed of association will depend on the progress made by individual countries."

"Once again we hear calls from Zagreb, this time from Mr. Picula, that we must engage in talks. This pleases the ear. Now we only have to wait for a concrete proposal from the Croatian side," the Slovenian MFA statement concluded.