BRUSSELS, Jan 30 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovenian Foreign Ministers Vesna Pusić and Karl Erjavec stated after their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday evening that it was possible to find a solution for the issue of the now defunct Ljubljanska Banka during February, which would pave the way for the ratification of Croatia's Treaty of Accession with the European Union in the Slovenian parliament.
At the joint press conference they held after their two-hour-long talks in the building housing the Council of the European Union, the two ministers said that they would again meet in Slovenia on 6 February when the Croatian expert Zdravko Rogić and Slovenian expert France Arhar, appointed by their respective governments to address this issue, are also expected to join them.
Pusić and Erjavec stressed that it would be possible during February to find a solution for the Ljubljanska Banka, which would be acceptable for both governments.
"We have agreed a new meeting on 6 February at which we, the ministers, and the two financial experts will convene to give an expert and political definition of the solution. Upon the definition of the solution, to which we are close, we will acquaint our respective government with it, and I am sure that they will accept it," the Croatian minister said.
"Finding an alternative solution will make it possible for Croatia to drop lawsuits against Ljubljanska Banka before Croatian courts, as this will render the court proceedings pointless, and it will make it possible for Slovenia to initiate the process of ratification of Croatia's EU accession treaty," she added. However, the two ministers stopped short of specifying what that solution might look like.
"I expect the completion of Croatia's accession treaty in time and that Slovenia will not be the last country to ratify the document," Pusić added.
Minister Erjavec said that the two experts, appointed by Ljubljana and Zagreb, had made a huge job so far regarding technical solutions. Experts may make progress to a certain stage, but a political decision is necessary for any further headway, he said. At our next meeting we will see how far we have gone and which issues should be also addressed so that Croatia may drop its lawsuits, Erjavec said.
I believe we are close to a solution, Erjavec said adding that he is also sure that a two-third majority can be secured in Slovenia's parliament for the ratification of the Croatia-EU treaty.