Croatian Parliament Ratifies Border Deal With Slovenia

RTTNews

11/20/2009

Croatia`s parliament Friday ratified an agreement that could lead to settling the long-pending border 
dispute with Slovenia. 

All but six of the 129-member house voted in favor of sending the border dispute to international arbitration 
- a condition Slovenia set in September for unblocking Croatia`s membership talks with the European Union 
(EU). 

Slovenia will hold a national referendum on the border deal early next year. 

Croatia joined NATO in April this year but Slovenia blocked since December its negotiations on accession 
to the EU over an 18-year-old border dispute with its neighbor.

The dispute centers mainly on the small bay of Piran in the Adriatic Sea. 
Croatia wanted the border to be drawn down the middle of the bay. 

But Slovenia, which has a much shorter coastline than its neighbor, fears this would deny its ships 
direct passage to the high seas. 

Hostility between the former Yugoslav republics waned recently after talks between Slovenian Prime Minister 
Borut Pahor  and his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor. 

A resolution of the border dispute between the two Balkan states will also brighten Croatia`s chances 
of joining the EU, possibly by next year.