MESIC FOR RE-OPENING TALKS ON CRO-SLOVENE BORDER, KUCAN AGAINST

BRDO KOD KRANJA, June 1 (Hina) - Following a meeting with Slovene President Milan Kucan at Brdo kod Kranja on Saturday, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said he supported the re-opening of talks on the Croatian-Slovene border which would satisfy both sides, while Kucan opposed the idea. #L# Following the meeting, which was held at the end of a summit of Central European heads of state, Mesic told reporters that the two governments had to sit at the negotiating table again and negotiate an agreement on borders which would be satisfactory to both sides and include the public, which he said was not adequately informed about the border agreement initialled by the two countries. Kucan said that negotiations had to be based on what had already been agreed on. "It is necessary to reach agreement on at least one issue, but I do not believe that one should start all over again in resolving problems. It is necessary to start from what we have agreed on and establish which problems can be solved as otherwise we will relativise all issues," Kucan said. "The two governments agreed on the border in Piran Bay, an agreement was initialled, and then all of a sudden it has been relativised as if it did not exist," Kucan said. "Problems cannot be solved through the media, by using half-truths or misinterpretations which only aggravate the already difficult problems," the Slovene president said. President Mesic said the border agreement had to satisfy both sides. He did not agree with estimates that relations between Slovenia and Croatia were at the lowest level so far, adding that he and President Kucan were friends and that all issues had to be solved by using arguments. "We call on our governments, too, to solve problems in the same way," Mesic said. Before the meeting, Mesic said the working breakfast he was to have with Kucan this morning did not take place due to a misunderstanding which did not have any political connotations. (hina) rml