ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PHONES CROATIAN COUNTERPART TO DISCUSS CONTENTIOUS DECISION

ROME, Nov 2 (Hina) - Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero told Croatian counterpart Tonino Picula over the phone on Thursday evening Rome had planned to discuss with Zagreb a contentious decision to confer a gold medal for war merits on the 1943 Italian government of Zadar due to the suffering of the town during World War II shellings by the Allies. Ruggiero said Italy did not want to revise history, Italian daily 'Piccolo' said in its Friday issue. Ruggiero called Picula on Thursday evening, the daily says, and the two ministers had an opportunity to directly clear misunderstandings which over the past several days have caused real diplomatic crisis. Ruggiero said that the medal to Zadar should have been a symbolic gesture adding that Rome had planned to discuss this with Zagreb. All misunderstandings will be solved through dialogue and a technical bilateral table will be open in Rome on Thursday, the daily said and added Italian Foreign Ministry official Roberto Antonione had confirmed that the table, which should solve the issues, would be established. The daily believes that the Italy-Croatia controversy over an Italian President Carlo Azeglio decision to confer a gold medal for war merits on the 1943 Italian government of Zadar, is calming down. Negotiations on a cooperation and partnership agreement between Italy and Croatia, which should be signed by late this months, will continue. The two countries' foreign ministers could sign the agreement in New York during a session of the UN General Assembly. (hina) it