Slovenia and Croatia are seeking a solution to the Ljubljanska Banka issue within the framework of the agreement the two countries' prime ministers, Borut Pahor and Jadranka Kosor, reached in Bohinj, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar told a news conference at the Bled Strategic Forum on Monday.
When asked by the press whether the two countries would stick to the current deadline -- the end of October -- for finding a solution, as agreed by Pahor and Kosor in July, the Slovenian minister said that he hoped the deadline would be respected.
"It was agreed in Bohinj that authorised representatives of the two governments would seek and find a solution. We are still looking for a solution within the deadline set by the two premiers, and I hope that we will succeed," Zbogar said.
He declined to give any more information about this process, explaining that it would be counter-productive.
Zbogar said that on the margins of the Bled conference he met his Croatian and Bosnian counterparts, Gordan Jandrokovic and Sven Alkalaj respectively.
The Slovenian minister said that his talks with Alkalaj did not tackle the issue of savings deposits in the now defunct Ljubljanska Banka.
Slovenia insists on dealing with this problem as part of negotiations on succession to the former Yugoslavia before the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements.
Slovenia's position on succession is clear, and the talks on old savings deposits and Ljubljanska Banka are being conducted only with Croatia within its European Union accession negotiations, Zbogar said.
Slovenia expects Croatia to make it possible for Slovenian banks to freely operate in Croatia so that Croatia may close the negotiating area "Free Movement of Capital" within its EU membership talks, he said.
