Croatia will not be able to open negotiations on three policy areas at Monday's accession conference with the European Union due to Slovenia's reservations about their substance, but this does not constitute a new blockade, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar said on Sunday.
"This is not a blockade, but the process of adjusting this issue, andwe have still not reached a solution," he said on Slovenian Radio, addingthere was a difference between Slovenia's previous veto on Croatia'snegotiations on the majority of the policy chapters, due to Ljubljana'sposition that Zagreb was prejudging the settlement to the border issue, and thecurrent situation.
Slovenia lifted the veto after the earlier dispute was settled with anagreement to put the border issue to arbitration.
"Earlier, we didn't allow the opening of the majority of the chapters becauseof documents that prejudged the border, but these three chapters won't be onthe agenda on Monday because they are still not ready for opening," saidZbogar.
He was commenting on a story in the European Voice weekly headlined"Slovenia finds new ways to block Croatia's EU bid" in whichLjubljana's position was also criticised by the foreign minister of EUpresident Sweden, Carl Bildt.
Zbogar did not elaborate on Slovenia's reservations about the substance ofthe negotiation chapters "Foreign, Security and Defence Policy","Environment" and "Fisheries", but said Slovenia wasentitled to make such reservations, just like any other EU country, since ithad not renounced this right by signing the border arbitration agreement withCroatia.
Zbogar said a step forward in connection with Slovenia's reservations couldbe made soon.
