Border Disputes Still Bedevil Ex-Yugoslav States

More than a quarter of a century since the Yugoslav federation fell apart, the borders between most of the former constituent units - Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia -remain unresolved.

Some are subjected to international arbitration processes, while political disputes centring on others have an impact on their visa regimes - as in the case of Kosovo.

Macedonia is the only post-Yugoslav state without any unresolved border disputes with its neighbours.

Croatia has the most numerous border disputes of them all, having failed to agree its exact borders with any of its four former Yugoslav neighbours - Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro.

Last Thursday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled on the long-running dispute over territorial waters in the Piran Gulf between Croatia and Slovenia, although Croatia has said it will not recognise it, as it views the court as compromised.

Besides the Piran Gulf dispute, the Court has also passed rulings on disputes on the border in the Istrian peninsula, on the Sveta Gera mountain peak, on the Zumberak mountain in central Croatia and on the borders on or close to the Sutla, Sava, Draca, Mura and Sontovec rivers.

Along its 1,011 kilometre border with Bosnia, Croatia has disputes over two locations: the town of Hrvatska Kostajnica, in central Croatia, and over two reefs near the 20km-long Bosnian strip of the Adriatic coast.

Croatia's 325km-long border with Serbia is also partly disputed. Serbia wants the Danube River to form a natural border, while Croatia wants the border to follow the cadastral principle on the grounds that the Danube has changed course over the years.

This would mean part of Croatian territory going to Serbia and parts of...