Croat parliament approves Slovenia border deal

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-03 03:29

ZAGREB: The Croatian parliament backed a border arbitration agreement with Slovenia on Monday, helping Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's efforts to lift a major obstacle to Croatia's European Union bid.

EU member Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU talks last December because of unresolved borders. In September, it lifted a veto and allowed Zagreb to resume membership talks after the two prime ministers agreed to resort to international arbitration.

Croatia hopes to wrap up the EU talks next year, but Slovenia has indicated it is ready to veto Croatia's progress again unless the arbitration agreement is signed soon.

The two prime ministers are expected to sign the agreement this month. It must then be ratified by national parliaments, where opposition parties expressed dissatisfaction in both countries.

The Croatian parliament's decision, taken by 80 out of 133 deputies present, is a major boost for Kosor, who took over the conservative government in July, when her predecessor Ivo Sanader suddenly quit after almost six years at the helm.

Kosor said on Monday backing the agreement was 'a patriotic act', while some opposition deputies called it 'national treason'.

"We have to decide whether we want to complete the (EU) talks or remain stuck for 10 or more years," Kosor told the deputies, referring to the possibility of a new Slovenian veto.

In Slovenia, the opposition also harshly criticised Prime Minister Borut Pahor, saying the agreement was unfavourable.

The two former Yugoslav republics have been unable to agree their land and sea border since becoming independent in 1991.

The dispute involves a sliver of land on the Istrian peninsula in the northern Adriatic and demands by Slovenia -- squeezed between Italy and Croatia -- to have direct access to international waters, which could force Croatia to cede some of the sea it sees as its own.

The agreement, which ought to be signed under the EU auspices later this month, says the matter will be resolved by an international arbitration team, proposed by the European Commission, whose ruling will be binding for both countries.

Croatia's biggest opposition party, the Social Democrats (SDP), said the agreement was fraught with risks because it involved political instead of purely legal elements.

Its deputies, who abstained from Monday's vote in the parliament, voiced concern that Croatia would have to "pay for its EU entry with territorial concessions."

The EU had tried and failed to achieve a breakthrough in six months of mediation this year. It then told Zagreb and Ljubljana to find a solution in direct talks.