The eleventh hour decision to cancel Friday's accession talks did not come as a surprise.

The Czech EU presidency postponed the meeting indefinitely after Slovenia and Croatia failed to resolve an 18-year-old dispute over their common border by last week.

"The presidency regrets the fact that despite determined efforts and numerous attempts by the presidency and the European Commission there has been no progress in the accession talks," the Czech EU presidency said in a statement.

Croatia had hoped to conclude EU entry talks by the end of the year, but that that now looks like an unlikely prospect.

EU member Slovenia has blocked Croatia's entry talks, arguing that they are prejudicial to the outcome of the two countries' border dispute, which centers around the coastal town of Piran and access rights to the Adriatic Sea.

Sweden, which takes over the EU presidency in July, said this week it plans no fresh attempt to help settle the row, which Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called a bilateral issue. He said it was time for a "period of reflection" in both countries.

On Tuesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn offered Croatia a last-ditch attempt to put its EU aspirations back on track. He said it was still possible for Croatia to reach the final phase of negotiations by the end of the year, if the border talks were resolved, and Croatia implemented necessary reforms.

nrt/AFP/dpa

Editor: Nathan Witkop