There is no consensus in Slovenia on how it should present the subject matter of its border dispute with Croatia at a meeting expected to discuss in Brussels on Tuesday the implementation of the bilateral border arbitration agreement, the Slovenian daily Dnevnik said on Friday.
Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar, and European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele are expected to meet in Brussels for the first time.
Dnevnik said that during Zbogar's consultations with parliamentary parties on Thursday, initiated by Speaker Gregor Virant, there was talk of whether Slovenia should present the subject matter of dispute to the arbitral tribunal now or in one year's time.
Under the arbitration agreement, the two countries have to define the subject matter within one month of Croatia's signing of its European Union Accession Treaty, which deadline expires next Monday, Dnevnik said.
Since the agreement does not clearly state whether the two countries should define the subject matter of dispute together or unilaterally, either of the two, or even both, could present their view of the dispute in Brussels on Monday. If they do not, it means that the subject matter will be determined by the arbitral tribunal.
According to Dnevnik, some Slovenian legal experts believe that Slovenia would stand a better chance if it defined the subject matter of dispute alone and immediately. Maritime law expert Marko Pavliha told the daily there was no reason why Slovenia could not do it. "That's not a document that would have hundreds of pages. It should only state our demands in a brief and concise manner, but primarily with full confidence and with arguments."
Such presentation of the case would, in a way, be a claim against Croatia, Pavliha said, adding that Slovenia could cite the white paper on the Slovenian-Croatian border presented by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry in 2006.
With regard to the sea border, the white paper does not mention a junction but Slovenia's territorial access to the high seas. It also defines the disputed sectors of the land border, Pavliha said.
Dnevnik said that according to some unofficial opinions in government circles, Slovenia would reveal its cards too early by presenting a unilateral document on the subject matter of the dispute and that the arguments should be stated in a memorandum, for which there is still one year's time.
According to the daily, Zbogar did not say during yesterday's consultations if Slovenia would unilaterally define the subject matter of the border dispute next week.
