Ljubljana  - The prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia met on Tuesday for the first time since Ljubljana blocked Croatia's accession talks with the European Union, but made no progress on the ongoing border dispute.

Slovenian Premier Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader gave only brief statements after a one-hour meeting in the Slovenian town of Mokrice.

The row dates back more than 15 years, to 1991 when both Slovenia and Croatia ceded from the then Yugoslavia, and centres on the mutual border at the harbour town of Piran, and with it access rights to the Adriatic Sea.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn had earlier expressed his hopes that the meeting would contribute to the end of a row.

Tirana - A border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia is stoking fears in Albania that its own accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) may be slowed as a result, local reports said Monday.

Slovenia and Croatia are at loggerheads over their border at the Bay of Piran, and with it access rights to the Adriatic Sea.

As a result, nationalist parties in Slovenia, which as a member of NATO is required to approve new accession, are attempting to force a referendum on Croatia's imminent membership of NATO.

Brussels - The European Union expects "clarity" on how to solve a border row between Slovenia and Croatia within weeks, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Friday.

The prime ministers of the embattled countries are set to meet on Tuesday, and "I expect clarity ... in the first week of March at the latest" on the question of whether both sides would accept EU mediation, he said.

Berlin - Germany hopes for a solution to the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia, to enable Croatia to join NATO and the European Union (EU), German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday.

After a meeting in Berlin with his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar, Steinmeier referred to the offers made by EU Commissioner Olli Rehn and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari to mediate in the dispute over a bay on the Adriatic coast.

Slovenia and Croatioa should approach each other with a constructive and flexible mindset, Steinmeier said.

Ljubljana - Slovenia's prime minister on Friday told the head of Russian natural gas monopolist Gazprom that eastern European countries should not have to go without gas due to a trade dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

Neither Slovenia, or other European Union members should be held hostage to the unresolved issues between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Borut Pahor told Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller during a meeting in Slovenia's capital.