Croatia won't withdraw power of attorney for Ljubljanska banka case

ZAGREB, Oct 12 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic on Friday said that she was convinced that the Croatian and Slovenian financial experts would find a "constructive and implementable" proposal to resolve the issue concerning the now defunct Ljubljanska Banka. She added that the government was not considering withdrawing a power of attorney to Croatian banks in the lawsuit against the Slovenian based bank being heard in the Croatian courts.

"Croatia and Slovenia appointed their two respective negotiators for this matter and they are doing their job and seeing how they are functioning, I am convinced that they will come up with a very constructive and implementable recommendation", Pusic said at a press conference.

She added that if an alternative was found then anything could be possible but that the team should be allowed to do their job.

Her Slovenian counterpart Karl Erjavec in a message to Pusic on Thursday noted that if the suits against Ljubljanska Banka were to be withdrawn, that would significantly help in resolving the matter and would provide for a "legal basis to start the ratification procedure", of Croatia's accession treaty in Slovenia.

Croatia's minister reiterated that the issue of Ljubljanska Banka was separate from the matter of EU accession and for that matter, the ratification of Croatia's accession treaty.

"We can see that there are opinions in the Slovenian public that these two matters should be separated and that ratification should be started in the Slovenian parliament", Pusic said.

Former premier Borut Pahor, one of three candidates competing in the Slovenian presidential run up in that country, on Friday said that the issue of the Ljubljanska bank should not have been any reason to sharpen relations with Croatia or to delay ratification of Croatia's accession treaty. (Hina)