Post by MiG on Jan 17, 2008 15:03:02 GMT -5
Croatia keeps disputed Adriatic zone, wants talks
ZAGREB, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Croatia will maintain a protected fishing zone in the Adriatic which threatens its European Union membership talks, but wants direct talks with Brussels and its EU neighbours to resolve the crisis.
"The problem of the zone exists, we do not deny that. But we also cannot deny Croatia's right to proclaim such a zone, based on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea," Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told the first session of his new cabinet on Thursday.
Croatia enforced the protected ecology-fishing zone on Jan. 1 -- when the new government was still being negotiated -- despite opposition by the EU, particularly Italy and Slovenia, which said Zagreb had previously agreed to exempt EU states.
The European Commission said the row could slow down Zagreb's accession talks and Slovenia Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said on Wednesday Croatia had only one week to abolish the zone.
"Italy and Slovenia cannot be against the U.N. convention, so we need to talk about the reasons why they are against the zone and how to remove their concerns," Sanader said.
Sanader said earlier this week Zagreb would propose to hold immediate talks with Italy, Slovenia and Brussels, but Slovenia insists Croatia first has to stop implementing the zone on EU states before any talks could take place.
Croatia wants to complete the accession talks by mid-2009 and any delay, according to EU officials, could derail its accession plans.
Croatia created the zone, which extends its jurisdiction beyond territorial waters to the middle of the Adriatic, in line with established international practice, saying it wants to protect dwindling fish stocks and limit pollution.
Croatia's fishermen say Italy's better equipped fleet could deplete fish stocks on the Croatian side of the Adriatic after doing so on their side. Slovenia's objection includes the unresolved sea border. (Reporting by Igor Ilic; Editing by Charles Dick)
ZAGREB, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Croatia will maintain a protected fishing zone in the Adriatic which threatens its European Union membership talks, but wants direct talks with Brussels and its EU neighbours to resolve the crisis.
"The problem of the zone exists, we do not deny that. But we also cannot deny Croatia's right to proclaim such a zone, based on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea," Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told the first session of his new cabinet on Thursday.
Croatia enforced the protected ecology-fishing zone on Jan. 1 -- when the new government was still being negotiated -- despite opposition by the EU, particularly Italy and Slovenia, which said Zagreb had previously agreed to exempt EU states.
The European Commission said the row could slow down Zagreb's accession talks and Slovenia Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said on Wednesday Croatia had only one week to abolish the zone.
"Italy and Slovenia cannot be against the U.N. convention, so we need to talk about the reasons why they are against the zone and how to remove their concerns," Sanader said.
Sanader said earlier this week Zagreb would propose to hold immediate talks with Italy, Slovenia and Brussels, but Slovenia insists Croatia first has to stop implementing the zone on EU states before any talks could take place.
Croatia wants to complete the accession talks by mid-2009 and any delay, according to EU officials, could derail its accession plans.
Croatia created the zone, which extends its jurisdiction beyond territorial waters to the middle of the Adriatic, in line with established international practice, saying it wants to protect dwindling fish stocks and limit pollution.
Croatia's fishermen say Italy's better equipped fleet could deplete fish stocks on the Croatian side of the Adriatic after doing so on their side. Slovenia's objection includes the unresolved sea border. (Reporting by Igor Ilic; Editing by Charles Dick)
Source: www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7234109
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LOL! Way to settle that shit!