At today's press conference following the constituent meeting of the Committee on Status and Legal Issues Affecting Slovenian Minorities in Neighbouring Countries (part of the Council for Slovenes Abroad), Prime Minister Janez Janša said that it had been agreed to draw up a detailed analysis of the status of Slovenian minorities in neighbouring countries and their organisations, stressing that in the light of the forthcoming visit of the Austrian Chancellor to Ljubljana, the issue of bilingual signposts had also been discussed.
Prime Minister Janez Janša attending the meeting of the Committee on Status and Legal Issues Affecting Slovenian Minorities in Neighbouring Countries (Photo: Nebojša Tejić/Salomon 2000)
Participants at the meeting also discussed possible new proposals from the Austrian government, and the political situation in Austrian Carinthia, which is an important factor in resolving the said issue. "Because of the active involvement of minority organisations and the stronger position of Slovenia in the international community, the recent period has seen more willingness to resolve this issue," said the PM with optimism, adding that an agreement had been reached on adopting a uniform position with regard to possible new solutions for tackling this issue. The Slovenian side expects to receive these before the visit of the Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer to Slovenia. According to Mr Janša, a solution which is acceptable to both Slovenia and the Slovenian minority in Austrian Carinthia entails Austria meeting its international and constitutional obligations towards the Slovenian minority, given that this commitment has been reaffirmed on several occasions through decisions of the Constitutional Court of Austria. "The Council for Slovenes Abroad and its three committees are bodies which include representatives of Slovenian umbrella organisations in the neighbouring countries, of the government, and of the Office for Slovenes Abroad. In this way, we will reach solutions through joint efforts and ensure continuity, thus preventing this issue from being addressed only occasionally," said the PM.
At the press conference, Mr Janša also answered other questions. With regard to the agreement between parliamentary parties on cooperation before and during Slovenia's presidency of the EU, he said that the proposals submitted by the parties involved had been taken into consideration as far as possible. A finalised version of the proposal will be drawn up and sent to all those who have expressed the intention of signing it. Any further remarks will be known this week, after which it will be possible to determine the date of signing the agreement.
(Photo: Nebojša Tejić/Salomon 2000)
When asked to comment on the decision of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Drnovšek, not to run for a second term, the PM said he would comment after the deadline for submitting presidential candidacies. He added that the decision on an SDS candidate or the party's support for any of the people currently being discussed in the media would be considered at the next meeting of the party leadership.
Mr Janša also replied to a question regarding presidential powers. He reiterated his view, which he has already expressed, that some things are not quite clear, which is why doubts have arisen regarding the juxtaposition of constitutional and statutory powers. In his view, it would be inappropriate "to resolve these issues by "referring to a specific person who is performing a certain function at a certain point in time". Mr Janša added that, despite various such proposals, the government has not decided to act in this way, while the PM has proposed the Minister of Justice withdraw the working materials for legal changes that would abolish the President's right to propose candidate judges for international courts. Despite this, the PM maintains that a comprehensive discussion is needed by the expert public on how to remove these discrepancies, and in view of the results, possibly attempt to resolve this issue in the next term.
"The government's position on the construction of LNG terminals in the Gulf of Koper and the Gulf of Trieste is entirely clear. At this moment, it seems that the decision-makers in the neighbouring country have opted for reconsideration, which means that the terminals will probably not be given the green light," said the PM, stressing that the construction of an LNG terminal at the Port of Koper is only a rumour, since the project is not envisaged in the government's strategic plans or in the Resolution on National Development Projects for the Period 2007-2013. He expressed doubts that all the criteria for nature conservation could be met at the proposed location.
