BELGRADE, Mar 09, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) — Slovenia expressed cautious optimism on Monday about Croatia’s conditional accepting the EU mediation in the border dispute between the two fellow former Yugoslav republics.

"Croatia’s consent to mediation with specified conditions represents a positive step forward, but that step may be too small, " Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar told a brief press conference in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

"If its final position is like the one stated in the press release, then Croatia is narrowing the possibility of mediation being successful," he said.

Croatia’s state leadership and heads of parliamentary parties issued a statement after their meeting earlier on Monday that Croatia accepted the initiative of the European Union to provide mediation in the border dispute with Slovenia, but under the condition that the mediation leads to an agreement on transferring the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

Zbogar said Slovenia expected a detailed explanation of the Croatian position on meditation, adding that things would be clearer on Tuesday when he was to meet his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in Brussels.

Rehn also welcomed Croatia’s position as a step forward towards European mediation. He said both starting positions were now on the table and that the conditions for the mediation needed to be agreed on.

Slovenia already backed mediation in principle on Feb. 26.

The EU’s initiative reportedly involves a group of three legal experts headed by former Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari.

The European Commission proposed the mediation after Croatia’s EU accession talks were brought to a standstill in December due to Slovenia’s reservations on some chapters in which Croatia submitted documents that Slovenia deems prejudge the course of the disputed border.

Slovenia has opposed taking the border issue to the ICJ unless the court uses the equity principle (ex equo et bono) in coming to a decision. This means the court can include any kind of circumstances, even if the valid international law does not (like historical facts), in order to reach a fairer verdict.

Slovenia, which joined the EU in 2004, has not been able to finalize its land and sea borders with Croatia, its fellow former Yugoslav republic, since both declared independence in 1991.

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