ETHNIC ITALIANS' COMMUNITIES CONDEMN ITALIAN UNION HEAD'S STATEMENT

PULA, Jan 12 (Hina) - Presidents of the Italian communities in Pula, Opatija, Moscenicka Draga, Split, Gamboc and Buzet (Croatian coastal cities and towns) on Sunday issued a statement condemning recent public statements of the Italian Union's executive committee's president, Silvano Zilli, when he asked for the replacement of the members of the executive committee of the national university in Trieste over their decision to block funds aimed at financing the Italian Union (an organisation of ethnic Italians in Croatia and Slovenia). #L# According to the statement issued on Sunday and signed by Tullio Persi and Teobaldo Rossi, the leaders of the Italian communities in Pula and Moscenicka Draga respectively, the heads of the above mentioned several Italian communities in Croatian towns and cities express full support to the current executive committee of the said university in Trieste. Their statement has been sent to officials of the state, regional and local authorities in Italy and to Istria County Prefect. According to their statement, the university's executive committee members should enjoy support given that their work made it possible for the Italian ethnic community to survive and preserve the Italian language and culture "in the areas which used to be scenes of serious ethnic turmoil in the past." The leaders of the local communities of ethnic Italians condemned Zilli's initiative and his latest attempts "to slander" the management of the Trieste national university. They also accuse the Italian Union's leadership of preventing leaders of local ethnic Italian communities from meeting the leadership of the said university. (hina) ms