Croatian government launches procedure to terminate arbitration agreement with Slovenia

Presenting the genesis of the case at a government session, Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said that "our desire and obligation to seek a way in which to settle the border issue with Slovenia does not end with this decision."

The Croatian government on Thursday launched a procedure to terminate the arbitration agreement with Slovenia because of a violation of the agreement by Slovenia.

The move followed a unanimous decision of the Croatian parliament adopted to that effect on Wednesday.

"This present procedure is too compromised for Croatia to continue searching for a solution," she added.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs was instructed to send a diplomatic note to the Slovenian government saying that because of a breach of the arbitration agreement by Slovenia conditions have arisen for termination of the arbitration agreement in accordance with international law.

Under the decision, Croatia will stop applying the arbitration agreement as of the day on which the diplomatic is sent, and Maja Sersic and Andreja Metelko-Zgombic have been relieved of their respective duties as agent and co-agent of the Republic of Croatia in the arbitration proceedings.

A scandal broke out last Wednesday when the Zagreb-based Vecernji List daily published transcripts revealing that a Slovenian judge sitting on the arbitration tribunal and a Slovenian Foreign Ministry official had secretly discussed the case and lobbied other judges to influence the outcome of the arbitration in Slovenia's favour.

According to the transcript of a conversation between Judge Jernej Sekolec and Foreign Ministry official Simona Drenik, the arbitration tribunal would have awarded most of the disputed Bay of Savudrija, known in Slovenia as the Bay of Piran, to Slovenia. The two officials have in the meantime resigned.

Pusic said that an analysis of their communications, published in the media, showed that "additional documents and information have been illegally included in the file" after deliberations began.

"That's why we think that the process is so compromised that it is impossible to continue dealing with the border issue in this way," Pusic concluded. 

(Text and Photo: Hina)

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