Sanader and Jansa’s Photo Session

Sanader announced a Bled meeting, which will hardly result in a solution to open issues between the two countries.

After a meeting between the Croatian and Slovene governments on Brijuni Island a year and a half ago, the time has come for a swap meeting. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has announced a meeting with his Slovene counterpart Janez Jansa in mid-2007. Although the first meeting, according to the Slovene side, was successful, our neighbours believe Croatia “messed up” by not acting in spirit with the reached agreement. 

No EFPZ, Ljubljanska banka…

However, nobody is expecting a lot from the upcoming meeting, either, that is, nobody is expecting concrete solutions to outstanding issues between the two countries, such as the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ), the Ljubljanska banka clients, the border…

Neither Sanader nor the Slovene side wished to specify issues to be discussed at the meeting. Slovene government’s spokesman, Valentin Hajdinjak, says agreements that should be signed at a joint session are still being harmonised.

-- When they are harmonised and when the contextual conditions for the meeting are met, only then will there be a meeting between the two governments, hopefully, within several months – Hajdinjak said.

Issues which could be discussed could be the “softening” of the Schengen border between the two countries, which has been in effect since the beginning of the year, and possibly real-estate.

A couple of “brave messages”

Croatian opposition parties, however, are sceptical with regards to concrete results of the meeting.

-- I am not expecting anything concrete. It will be the usual photo session and nothing else. –Zoran Milanovic of the Social Democratic Party said.

He added that Sanader would relay several “brave messages” from the meeting, which will remain nothing else.

-- Just like to date, nothing. – Milanovic concluded.