Metelko-Zgombić pointed out that significant progress had been made in August 2007, when the two countries’ prime minister Ivo Sanader i Janez Janša had agreed to leave the solution of the dispute to an international judicial body – the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It was followed by the founding of interstate commissions tasked with determining points of dispute along the border and preparing the legal framework, which is why the Croatia side has reiterated its regret over the Slovenian side’s withdrawal from the commissions.
Chief legal counsellor Metelko-Zgombić said that Croatia welcomes the initiative by European Commission’s Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn to solve the Croatia-Slovenia border dispute through mediation, emphasizing that it should, in accordance with the international law, assist the two countries in their preparation for appearing before an international judicial body.
In regard to Croatia’s EU accession negotiations, she reiterated Croatia’s position that said bilateral border dispute should not interfere with the negotiations, stressing that Croatia is willing to firmly guarantee that, while negotiating, it will not prejudge the border with Slovenia.