The Slovenia Times

Parliament Unanimously Backs Border Arbitration Response

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Committee head Janja Klasinc of the coalition Positive Slovenia (PS) said after the four-hour presentation and debate that support had been unanimous, since the response is very well argumented and extensive.

Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec agreed, while confirming that the document would be sent to the arbitration tribunal by the 11 November deadline.

He expects that the sessions at the tribunal could take place in May or June next year and a verdict declared in the first half of 2015.

Meanwhile, commenting on the recent decision of a Croatian judge to disregard the March treaty that stipulated proceedings at Croatian courts against the defunct LB bank would be suspended, Erjavec disagreed with the judge, reiterating that the agreement clearly had the status of a treaty.

With the treaty the two countries merely repeated that "the issue of the foreign currency deposits is an issue of the succession" to the former Yugoslavia, the minister said.

He stressed that "these proceedings are running on the basis of a mandate from the Croatian Ministry of Finance, which is why it is hard to speak of some kind of autonomous decision of the judge, who is part of an independent judicial branch of power".

The committee too concluded that the agreement was "undoubtedly a treaty" and condemned Croatia for failing to honour treaties.

The lawsuit at the Zagreb Municipal Court that has been resumed after Slovenia ratified Croatia's EU accession agreement is only one among 27 lawsuits being brought against the LB bank by other banks on behalf of the Croatian government in connection to Yugoslav-era savings deposits.

Asked how Slovenia planned to react to the LB developments, Erjavec said that the LB and the banks were the parties in the proceedings, meaning the decision is in the hands of the LB and its lawyers.

The responsibility of the Slovenian government is to secure that the memorandum is honoured and that these proceedings are suspended, he added.

The Foreign Ministry reacted today by summoning Croatian Charge d'Affaires Romana Franulović-Bušić for talks. The diplomat was handed a demarche concerning the LB issue, which contains the above views of Slovenian authorities.

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