CROATIA: Croatia and Slovenia still at odds over Ljubljanska Banka issue

Record ID: 564770

  • Title: CROATIA: Croatia and Slovenia still at odds over Ljubljanska Banka issue
  • Date: 20th November 2013
  • Summary: RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT ZAGREB, CROATIA (NOVEMBER 20, 2013) (REUTERS) VENUE OF MEETING, SLOVENIAN, CROATIAN AND EU FLAGS CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, VESNA PUSIC, GETTING OUR OF CAR AND ENTERING BUILDING SLOVENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, KARL ERJAVEC, GETTING OUT OF CAR AND ENTERING BUILDING PUSIC AND ERJAVEC SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR MEDIA FLAGS OVER ENTRANCE TO MEETING VENUE SLOVENIAN AND CROATIAN DELEGATIONS SEATED AROUND TABLE SLOVENIAN NEGOTIATOR FRANCE ARHAR SEATED FLAGS INSIDE NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM PUSIC AND ERJAVEC ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) SLOVENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KARL ERJAVEC SAYING: "As we understand the memorandum the proceedings (before local courts) will be stopped until we reach a final agreement, in line with the Vienna document from 2001." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VESNA PUSIC SAYING: "We did not reach an agreement on how to solve the problem but we did agree to stay in contact and to try see what possible options we have. I can only repeat that as far as the Croatian side is concerned we will respect the memorandum but we are also open to look for alternative solutions including arbitration." MEDIA PUSIC AND ERJAVEC WALKING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Croatia
  • Country: Croatia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2X1IS7U4JH4RHIB2AED0J62YH
  • Story Text: Slovenia's and Croatia's foreign ministers did not reach an agreement in the latest round of talks over Ljubljanska Banka dispute in Zagreb on Friday (November 20), but said further negotiations were needed.
    "We did not reach an agreement on how to solve the problem but we did agree to stay in contact and to try see what possible options we have. I can only repeat that as far as the Croatian side is concerned we will respect the memorandum but we are also open to look for alternative solutions including arbitration", Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic told the news conference after the talks.
    The bank Ljubljanska Banka closed down when the two countries declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 without reimbursing its Croatian depositors who sued its successor Nova Ljubljanska banka. Slovenia said the issue should be solved within a framework of the division of Socialist Yugoslavia's assets and liabilities among its successor states and at the beginning of 2013 refused to ratify Croatia's EU treaty because of the dispute over the bank. It ratified the treaty in April after the two ex-Yugoslav republics agreed to approach the Bank for International settlements for help in resolving the dispute and Croatia agreed to suspend a legal suit before its local courts, in which it is seeking reimbursement from Ljubljana.
    The two sides now disagree over the interpretation of the term "to stay the proceedings. Croatia says this means only a temporary suspension while Slovenia thinks it should be permanent suspension of the cases of the local courts proceedings.
    "As we understand the memorandum the proceedings (before local courts) will be stopped until we reach a final agreement, in line with the Vienna document from 2001", Slovenian Foreign Minister Erjavec told the news conference.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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