Washington, June 09, 2010, SPA -- The United States congratulates the people of Slovenia on the ratification of a border arbitration agreement with Croatia by referendum on June 06, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement Tuesday. “By cementing this agreement, the people of Slovenia have helped move the region closer to full European integration,” said the statement released by the State Department. “We commend the leaders and governments of Croatia and Slovenia for resolving to settle their disagreements and agreeing to arbitration in the spirit of good neighborly relations,” Clinton wrote. “We believe that the arbitration agreement is good for Slovenia, good for Croatia, and good for the entire region,” said Clinton, who is on a four-country tour of Latin America and the Caribbean. Slovenia narrowly approved a border arbitration agreement with Croatia in a referendum Sunday, clearing a major obstacle to Croatia’s bid to join the European Union (EU). Under the border arbitration deal, an international team will settle a dispute over the land and sea border that dates from the 1991 break-up of Yugoslavia. The ruling would be binding for both countries. --SPA 11:24 LOCAL TIME 08:24 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/790645