RACAN COMMENTS ON RELATIONS WITH SLOVENIA

ZAGREB/LJUBLJANA, Dec 11 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan told Monday's news conference Croatia would "positively accept" dialogue with Ljubljana. Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel at the same time sent a letter to his Croatian counterpart Tonino Picula, inviting him for a continuation of talks. "The Government will try to show problems are not big. We believe the Slovene Government will show the same, in which case optimistic prognoses would have a basis" Racan told reporters, commenting on Rupel's statement that all outstanding issues with Croatia could be solved within six months. The problems which exist between the two neighbourly and democratic countries are not as great and irresolute as it had seemed, Racan assessed. Rupel sent a letter to Minister Picula Monday, calling for a meeting as soon as possible, and a continuation of a dialogue on open issues, Slovene diplomatic sources confirmed. The Croatian Foreign Ministry says it has not yet received the letter. Ministry spokesman Goran Rotim said the Ministry had no official comment on Rupel's interview to Slovene's Mladina daily where he spoke about "noticing traces of jealousy" in Croatia as Ljubljana was closer to the European Union than Zagreb. Rupel also commented on the contentious issues of the Krsko nuclear power plant and foreign exchange savings of Croatian citizens in the Ljubljanska Bank, assessing both issues could be resolved jointly as Croatia would show cooperation in one question and Slovenia in the other. (hina) lml