Ljubljana, Feb 23, SPA -- Slovenia's former prime minister and president,Janez Drnovsek, passed away after a long battle with cancer, hiscabinet in Ljubljana announced Saturday, reported dpa. Drnovsek had shaped Slovenia as much any, helping it transformfrom a federal unit of the Communist Yugoslavia to the successful,market-driven country currently presiding over the European Union. He had served as Slovenia's representative in Yugoslavia's lastcollective presidency and was, as an outspoken critic of thefederation, particularly strongly disliked by the old-guardCommunists who considered the federation sacred. After his country won a brief, 10-day war for independence fromYugoslavia in 1991, Drnovsek had served as its prime minister withonly one brief interruption between 1992 and 2002, when he waselected to the stately position of the president. During his term, which ended late in 2007, he navigated an amazingcircle - from an efficient technocrat to a bread-baking vegan whoflirted with Buddhism and was a preacher of the new way, living in acottage instead of the presidential residence. During the past five years, he quit his Liberal Democracy partyand founded the Movement for Justice and Development, a non-politicalorganization which seeks to "raise human consciousness and make theworld a better place." In a bid to achieve his objective, he fought discrimination ofmarginalized ethnic groups such as the Roma and tried launchinginitiatives to resolve the problems of Darfur and Kosovo. He had been diagnosed with cancer a long time ago and had toundergo kidney-removal surgery in 1999. Though cancerous growth re-emerged two years later, has loudly denounced classical medicine andturned to alternative therapy and spirituality. Drnovsek's unpredictable turns had alienated him from theSlovenian political mainstream, but still endeared him to manyordinary Slovenians.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/529612