Meeting of Presidents of Slovenia and Croatia
Zagreb, 11/09/2006 | press release, statement
Presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, Dr Janez Drnovšek and Mr Stipe Mesić, met today in the Croatian presidential palace to discuss the relations between the two countries including the issue of the national border; on their last meeting in August in Brioni they had announced to formulate the initiative for its resolution if the governments had failed to reach an agreement.
After the meeting the president Dr Drnovšek expressed to the media his satisfaction to have met with his Croatian colleague:
“We arranged another meeting already upon our last meeting. As regards the issues which we discussed already last summer in Brioni, as well as today, I may say that we have worked on these issues, as well as contacted the experts on international law, and thus hopefully incited a fresh interest on Croatian side, too, as well as provided a motive to seek for a resolution satisfying minimum interests of both countries. However, I and my colleague Stipe Mesić still hope that the government shall take more initiatives and undertake the resolution of the border issue in a more serious and committed manner. This is in the interest of both countries.”
The Court of Justice in Strasbourg has recently dismissed the charges of three Croatian savers against Ljubljanska banka. As regards this subject, the President of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, told media the following:
“It is my opinion, too, that the judgment of the Strasbourg Court is important. This judgment has confirmed the previous judgments of certain Croatian courts and my impression has been for quite some time that the politics has waited for the Strasbourg judgment, for the European court judgment, and that it has not been willing to make any moves before that.
Now the judgment has been reached, which means that this issue shall have to be resolved first at home, in Croatia, and of course possibly in relation to Slovenia as well. Therefore it is time to open a new chapter in the resolution of the problem of the former Ljubljanska banka in Zagreb. The possibilities exist; certain expert options have been examined already. There is a possibility already confirmed also by Croatian courts: namely, that the liabilities to Croatian savers may be covered by the claims of the former Ljubljanska banka in Zagreb, which are still relevant for the bank still has some assets in Croatia as well as the claims on different companies. However, this procedure is presently blocked and was implemented only where Croatian courts judged accordingly.
I believe there should be a meeting of both ministers of finance and both governors of the central banks with the intention of examining the blocks impeding this process. Thus it could continue and the liabilities to Croatian savers could be covered from the claims of the former Ljubljanska banka in Zagreb on different subjects, especially in Croatia. If this does not suffice the remaining quantity should be discussed. However, there is a possibility to resolve this issue already in this manner.”