Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said in Zagreb on Thursday that Slovenia was not blackmailing Croatia with the Ljubljanska Banka issue, given short deadlines for EU entry, expressing confidence that a solution to this long-standing dispute would be just for both Croatia and Slovenia.
"No. I believe that the solution would be a compromise and that it would be just for both sides," Josipovic said when asked if Slovenia was blackmailing Croatia to agree to a solution that would not be in Zagreb's interest, given that Ljubljana has not yet launched the process of ratifying Croatia's Treaty of Accession with the EU.
"I believe that we will find common ground in the near future, that the issue of the Ljubljanska Banka will be resolved and that Slovenia will launch the ratification process," Josipovic told reporters after he bestowed a Croatian state decoration on Italian MP Aldo Di Biagi.
Josipovic declined to say which solution would be best for Croatia, stressing that the two countries should not hurry with a solution and let their experts Zdravko Rogic and Franc Arhar finish the job in peace.
Croatian and Slovenian Foreign Ministers Vesna Pusic and Karl Erjavec stated after meeting on Wednesday evening in Brussels that it was possible to find a solution to the Ljubljanska Banka issue during February, which would pave the way for the ratification of Croatia's Treaty of Accession with the European Union in the Slovenian parliament.
"We have agreed to a new meeting on 6 February at which we, the ministers, and the two financial experts will convene to give an expert and political definition of the solution. Upon the definition of the solution, which is close, we will acquaint our respective governments with it, and I am sure that they will accept it," the Croatian minister said.
