Slovenians backed an agreement their government made with Croatia to send a border dispute to international arbitration in a referendum Sunday, clearing the path for their neighbour's accession to the European Union, according to dpa. According to incomplete figures by the election commission, with 700,000 ballots - which was nearly all that was cast Sunday in Slovenia - 51.71 per cent backed the agreement with Croatia and 48.29 per cent opposed it, with a 50-per-cent turnout among the 1.7 million voters. Though highly unlikely, a possibility of a turnaround remains, with the ballots cast by mail and expatriates yet to be counted. There are some 48,000 Slovenians abroad, but only about 20 per cent of therm vote regularly. The "yes" votes currently lead by 24,000 ballots, which is nearly unbeatable, local observers said. An EU member-state since 2004, Slovenia used its right of veto in late 2008 to block Croatia's accession. The hurdle was lifted in December, shortly after Slovenian and Croatian prime ministers Borut Pahor and Jadranka Kosor reached the deal on arbitration. However, Pahor bowed to pressure from the opposition in March and agreed to test the agreement in a referendum, so Sunday's referendum was also a vote of confidence for his cabinet. Croatia now expects to wind up the accession negotiations with EU already in 2010 and an invitation to join next year. The dispute over the northern Adriatic Bay of Piran emerged when Slovenia and Croatia departed from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia's entire coast lies within the Bay of Piran, but its northern lip is in Italy and the southern in Croatia. As Croatia sees it, Slovenian vessels pass through its territorial waters and are subject to control, which Slovenians see as harassment. The referendum in Slovenia was closely monitored in Croatia, but also by other Western Balkan nations standing in line for EU membership, though at a much later, still unspecified date. The issue drew interest because once it joins EU, Croatia is likely to use that leverage against Serbia and Bosnia with which it also has border disputes. In addition, Western Balkan nations - Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo - are looking for any positive signals on the cooled EU enlargement drive, particularly after Brussels officials criticized them over reluctant regional cooperation.
