Croatia will send its submission concerning its border dispute with Slovenia to the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague on Monday, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic announced.
Pusic made the announcement at a press conference in the Parliament building after attending a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration committees and the Croatian Delegation to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.
The submission has 3,800 pages, including 300 pages of text and attachments such as maps. "This is no longer the matter for politicians but for legal experts, the top-notch domestic and foreign legal experts we have engaged," she said.
Pusic said that after the Arbitral Tribunal received the submission, a copy of the Slovenian submission would be made available to Croatia and a copy of the Croatian submission to Slovenia. "After that we have certain deadlines to state our opinion, after which it will be a matter of legal procedure."
Pusic addressed the meeting on the government's policy towards the region and negotiations with Slovenia on the Ljubljanska Banka issue. She said she had outlined the proposed solution to the bank issue to the members of the committees.
When asked by the press when she would be able to reveal details of the proposed solution, Pusic said that would be possible after additional consultations with the Slovenian partners.
Asked if she could say that Croatia and Slovenia were just a step away from a settlement, Pusic replied affirmatively. "Yes, I can. We are a step away from a settlement," she said.
