Skopje, 27 February (STA) - Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Tuesday 27 February that the decision of the international community to extend by one year the mandate of the Office of ...the High Representative in Bosnia was "logical". Rupel also said he agreed with the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which yesterday exonerated Serbia of guilt for the genocide in Srebrenica.
Ljubljana, 23 February: The parliamentary committees on foreign policy and EU affairs on Friday 23 February endorsed a report on Slovenia's position in the EU in 2006 and a draft declaration that ...lists guidelines for the country's operation in EU institutions between January 2007 and June 2008. He said Slovenia would push for the ratification of the EU constitution, but problems can be expected. "I wish Germany which currently presides the EU were successful in the untangling of this knot," said Dimitrij Rupel, who is however afraid that the issue would continue through subsequent EU presidencies.
Ljubljana, 16 February (STA) - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel commented on the Italian-Croatian history row on Friday 16 February by saying that he had written to his Italian counterpart Massimo ...D'Alema to remind him that it would be right if Italy officially endorsed a report compiled by a Slovenian-Italian commission of historians.
Menges, 07 February (STA) - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has defended the decision to protest against an oil and gas exploration licence that Croatia granted to oil company INA for the northern ...Adriatic. The map of the area published by some Slovenian media shows that the diplomatic note was "necessary, the only logical move considering Croatia's actions," Rupel said on Wednesday 7 February.
Ljubljana, 31 January (STA) - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told STA on Wednesday 31 January evening that Carla del Ponte, chief ICTY prosecutor, misunderstood his statements regarding a possible ...revival of talks between Serbia and the EU. "I did not say what she thinks I said," Rupel told STA. Rupel explained that he had only told European Voice that Serbia's full cooperation with the Hague tribunal needs the come before the end of negotiations with the EU.
Paris, 25 January: Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said at Thursday's 25 January conference on Lebanon reconstruction in Paris that Slovenia would contribute around 100,000 euros for the rebuilding ...of the country. Rupel said that Slovenia would also assist Lebanon through the Slovene-run International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), which would be working with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS). Rupel told STA that another key topic discussed at the conference was the Middle East crisis. The participants agreed that situation in hot spots should be resolved and that help should be given to the Palestinians and Lebanon, Rupel said.
Ljubljana, 24 January: Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said in Ljubljana on Wednesday 24 January that the situation in Kosovo was "relatively stable, yet fragile" and added that the province needed a ...clear political situation to facilitate investment. Rupel, speaking at a conference on business opportunities for Slovene companies in Kosovo, labelled Slovenia an important investor in Kosovo, as bilateral trade reached 60m euros in the first ten months of 2006, of which Slovene investment amounted to 40m euros. The main issue at the moment is the future status of the predominantly ethnic Albanian province, while less attention is paid to unemployment, public finances, administration and the rule of law, Rupel said at the "Kosovo - Challenge for Slovene Business" event.
Ljubljana, 18 January: Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is to pay an official visit to Macedonia on Friday 19 January. The visit is seen as a chance to look at cooperation between the two countries, ...Slovenia's EU presidency in 2008 and Macedonia's integration into Euroatlantic organizations, and to asses the situation in the Western Balkans.
Dimitrij Rupel, speaking in Serbian Our exports to Serbia are increasing, but our imports from Serbia are increasing even more. There are ever more investments, and I believe that Slovene investments ...in Serbia are currently worth around 540m euros, which speaks of their significance.
Presenter Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica underlined in talks with Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel that international law, the UN Charter and its basic principle of the preservation ...of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states should be respected in the search for a solution to the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.
