Delo: Plums and jam, timber and chairs

Ljubljana, 16 July - It seems rather unlikely that the Croat Government could improve the situation at home by waging a "struggle against the exploitation of Croatian national resources" or else by taking administrative trade measures against foreign partners. This is not only the old-style terminology , well-known from the Yugoslav economy (we may recall Serbian lamentations over their plums, which were sold by somebody else as much more expensive jam or juice), it is a step which is bound to cause reciprocal measures. Zorana Baković points out in the morning edition of Delo that Slovenia will have to introduce reciprocal measures to protect its own market, be this in accordance with the will of its government or not. This will result in Croatian problems with the export of their goods, and the boomerang will return to where it was thrown from.
The author stresses that this economic conflict should be seen as a Croatian step taken out of despair arising from the never-ending war and domestic economic chaos, which is starting to surpass the capacities of the young state. The question is, whether Slovenia will sympathize with the Croatian despair or will it decide to take reciprocal action. Zorana Baković concludes that neither state will find common ground by using the terminology of former Yugoslavia.