The Slovenian parliament's foreign affairs committee on Wednesday supported the ratification of a border arbitration agreement with Croatia with ten votes for and seven against.
Members of the committee called on parliament to ratify the agreement at its session on Monday.
The agreement was signed last November by Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor. Croatia's lawmaker ratified later the same month.
Calling on members of the committee to support the ratification, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar said at the start of the session that the agreement was good, it protected its interest and it was made in the circumstances when the two countries' border dispute could not have been solved bilaterally for years.
Zbogar said that after the ratification, Slovenia will have about six months to assemble a team of expert to draw up a memorandum for the arbitration council.
Several committee members from the ruling coalition said the agreement needed to be ratified as soon as possible. Croatia will enter the EU whether the agreement is ratified or not and the unsolved border issue would cement the present border situation, which is not favourable for Slovenia, said one of the deputies from the ruling coalition.
Opposition, however believed the arbitration deal should be rejected and proceeding concerning the agreement should be stopped.
