Speaking after a meeting that preceded today's regular government session, head of the deputy group of the ruling Party of the Modern Centre (SMC) Simona Kustec Lipicer said that the partners would continue making an effort to close all open issues and confirm the strategy in the National Assembly.

Matjaž Han, the head of the Social Democrats (SD) deputy group, assessed that the strategy and classification could be wrapped up by the summer, but he still expects answers from Finance Minister Dušan Mramor to certain dilemmas regarding the classification.

Franc Jurša of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) is convinced that the coalition partners would manage to reach an agreement on Zavarovalnica Triglav and that a common ground would be reached between the government and DeSUS, which wants the insurer to be classified as a strategic asset.

Minister Mramor and DeSUS president Karl Erjavec, who insists that would Zavarovalnica Triglav remain in majority state ownership, met yesterday over the issue, but no final agreement was reached.

Erjavec said after today's government session that DeSUS would insist on the insurer remaining a strategic asset. "When the strategy gets adopted, it will say that Zavarovalnica Triglav is a strategic asset. This is my scenario."

"We will protect by all means this interest, which is also supported by citizens. They said clearly in a [2007] referendum that they are against the sale of Zavarovalnica Triglav," stressed the DeSUS president.

In order to attain this goal, the party will file amendments to the classification in the parliamentary procedure, said Erjavec, who is confident that the coalition will reach a consensus.

Asked whether DeSUS would leave the coalition if Triglav is not classified as a strategic asset, he said: "This is not going to happen. What I understood from today's talks is that we will harmonise this, while DeSUS's position remains clear."

Prime Minister Miro Cerar commented on the issue on the margins of the EU's Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, downplaying the significance of the differences in the coalition over Triglav's future.

Calling the differences over Triglav "legitimate", he said it would likely not be the only issue pertaining to the "broad and complex" document which will be raised during parliamentary passage.

"The debate in parliament will surely raise additional questions both in the coalition and the opposition. I see this as completely normal in a democracy."