(ZAGREB) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Monday renewed calls for a meeting with the European Union, Italy and Slovenia to discuss a bitter row over a fishing zone.

"We have been waiting for some two months an answer to my proposal for a quadrilateral meeting during which we would outline certain solutions," over the issue, Sanader said on national radio.

"We believe these solutions are good for both Slovenia and Italy and would not put into question Croatia's right to proclaim the zone," Sanader said.

"Croatia is still hoping to meet with the three sides," he said but stressed that such a meeting was being "avoided."

"If it is being avoided, and my impression is that it is being avoided in a certain way, than it means that there are other intentions," Sanader said.

If such a meeting does not take place Croatia will see it as an "unobjective approach to the problem," he said.

Croatia enforced the Adriatic Sea ecological zone on January 1 despite repeated EU warnings that doing so would have negative consequences on its ambitions to join the 27-nation bloc.

Its goal is to protect fishing stocks which Zagreb says are being depleted by Italy's larger fleet.

Croatia first proclaimed the 23,800 square kilometre (9,520 square mile) zone in 2003.

As it sought EU candidacy in 2004, Croatia had agreed to allow exemptions for EU countries -- notably its Adriatic neighbors Italy and Slovenia -- until a fishing accord was finalised with Brussels.

The issue is closely linked to a sea-border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, the current holder of the EU rotating presidency. The issue has dogged relations between the two former Yugoslav republics since they gained independence in 1991.

Croatia hopes to join the EU by 2010.

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