"Slovenia, Croatia should accept mediation"

Olli Rehn expects Slovenia and Croatia to accept mediation, thereby unblocking Croatia’s upcoming negotiations.

Izvor: B92

Friday, 06.03.2009.

14:04

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Olli Rehn expects Slovenia and Croatia to accept mediation, thereby unblocking Croatia’s upcoming negotiations. The EU enlargement commissioner believes that is the only real chance to move forward. "Slovenia, Croatia should accept mediation" During a two-day meeting of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, hosted by Slovenian MEP Jelko Kacin, which finished on Thursday in Bled, Rehn repeated to journalists that he expects Croatia to answer positively to the EC’s offer and accept mediation as a resolution to the border dispute it has with Slovenia. The EU commissioner said that he cannot imagine that Slovenia or Croatia could decline the EC’s offer. “The aim of the EC is to resolve the border issue between Slovenia and Croatia in order to unblock approaching negotiations, so that we can work in accordance with the time scheme and finish technical negotiations by the end of this year,” he said. Rehn added that the border dispute between the two countries has already lasted 18 years and all previous attempts to resolve it have failed. Because of that, in the current situation, he said he did not see another real possibility to advance which would compare with mediation. “I expect a positive answer from both of the countries, without setting some impossible conditions which would lead to a refusal of our offer in the end,” said Rehn in Bled. At the same time, Vesna Pusic, president of the Croatian National Council for the Monitoring of Accession Negotiations with the EU, told Slovenian state television that she expects Zagreb will most likely accept mediation on Monday, but under the condition that its tasks be defined and EU association negotiations continue. On the other hand, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar says that the EC clearly stated that mediation is not seen as a path “to a third objective”. In other words, the mediation team, which would be led by Martti Ahtisaari, would mediate on the border issue, and not on the issue of the institution that would resolve the dispute.

"Slovenia, Croatia should accept mediation"

During a two-day meeting of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, hosted by Slovenian MEP Jelko Kacin, which finished on Thursday in Bled, Rehn repeated to journalists that he expects Croatia to answer positively to the EC’s offer and accept mediation as a resolution to the border dispute it has with Slovenia.

The EU commissioner said that he cannot imagine that Slovenia or Croatia could decline the EC’s offer.

“The aim of the EC is to resolve the border issue between Slovenia and Croatia in order to unblock approaching negotiations, so that we can work in accordance with the time scheme and finish technical negotiations by the end of this year,” he said.

Rehn added that the border dispute between the two countries has already lasted 18 years and all previous attempts to resolve it have failed. Because of that, in the current situation, he said he did not see another real possibility to advance which would compare with mediation.

“I expect a positive answer from both of the countries, without setting some impossible conditions which would lead to a refusal of our offer in the end,” said Rehn in Bled.

At the same time, Vesna Pusić, president of the Croatian National Council for the Monitoring of Accession Negotiations with the EU, told Slovenian state television that she expects Zagreb will most likely accept mediation on Monday, but under the condition that its tasks be defined and EU association negotiations continue.

On the other hand, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Žbogar says that the EC clearly stated that mediation is not seen as a path “to a third objective”. In other words, the mediation team, which would be led by Martti Ahtisaari, would mediate on the border issue, and not on the issue of the institution that would resolve the dispute.

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