Prime Minister Borut Pahor told Slovenian Television that a possible approval of the arbitration deal would confirm the maturity of Slovenian voters and send out a positive signal to Croatia and the entire region.

Pahor said he could see "no alternative" had the agreement been rejected today. He confirmed he had discussed the referendum with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor today.

Opposition leader Janez Jansa, visibly disappointed at the preliminary results of the vote, said that his party and the opposition would not vote in favour of ratification of Croatia's EU accession treaty if the border issue was not settled by then. He added that the arbitration process should be speeded up so that its result was known within a year.