Slovenian president calls for referendum on border agreement with Croatia

Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk called on Friday for the border arbitration agreement with Croatia to be "put to verification" to the people in a consultative referendum.

The president said that a referendum needs to take place before the document is ratified, as it would not make sense to ask people about their opinion once the document has already been endorsed, according to Slovenian news agency STA.

Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor signed the arbitration agreement in Stockholm on Wednesday, but the Slovenian hard line opposition National Party (SNS) labeled the agreement a betrayal of Slovenian national interests and announced a referendum.

Tuerk also reiterated his support for the deal, and called for Slovenian politicians to show more courage.

The agreement opens the door to a solution to the years-long border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia, and is therefore an opportunity that should be seized upon, said Tuerk.

Source: Xinhua