Postponing Croatia's European Union entry talks, especially over a longer period, would encourage anti-European forces and send a wrong signal to entire Western Balkans, Slovene Premier Janez Jansa was quoted as saying in the daily "Vecer" on Saturday. "Slovenia supports Croatia on its E.U. path, and suspension of the beginning of talks, especially for a longer period, is not in our interest," Jansa said. He added that E.U. member Slovenia "does not want to have unstable country on its border". According to Jansa, "the entire region (Western Balkans) might turn in the wrong direction" if Zagreb is rejected. This week, E.U. warned Croatia that its accession talks would only begin if fugitive war crimes suspect general Ante Gotovina is arrested and extradited to The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Gotovina, whom the tribunal has charged with war crimes committed against Croatian Serbs during 1990s Balkan war, has been on the run for almost four years. Slovenia and Croatia and two neighbours that were once both members of the former Yugoslavia. Ljubljana last year joined 25- nation Bloc as the first former Yugoslav republic.
