RUPEL'S LETTER COMES IN ZAGREB - ONLY WISH FOR EXEMPLARY TIES -- SPOKESMAN

ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - A letter of Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitrije Rupel, to his Croatian counterpart Tonino Picula, which Rupel announced in his interview to a Slovenian newspaper 'Mladina' as the criticism of certain acts of Zagreb, is actually only the letter of thanks for Picula's congratulations on Rupel's appointment and it also contains a wish for "exemplary bilateral ties," a spokesman for the Croatian Foreign Ministry told Hina on Wednesday. The letter with the date of 8 December has been forwarded to the Ministry via the Slovene Embassy in Zagreb, spokesman Goran Rotim said adding this letter was primarily Rupel's thanks for Picula's congratulations. The letter mentions the importance of the Croatian-Slovene relations which should be exemplary inter-state relations in our part of the world, the spokesman said. He added that Rupel also called on Picula to continue furthering the cooperation on the basis of what was agreed during the latest visit of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic to Slovenia this spring. The Slovene Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed that Rupel had sent a letter to Picula, explaining the contents of the letter in the same manner as the Croatian ministry spokesman. However, Rupel's interview to the latest issue of the 'Mladina' weekly, has caused speculation that the letter could contain some expressions of Ljubljana's dissatisfaction with Croatia's conduct. In his interview, the recently-appointed Slovene foreign minister commented on some still unsolved border issues, adding that they would be more detrimental to Croatia than Slovenia in their bids to come nearer to the European Union. He also said he had noticed signs of jealousy of Zagreb as his country was closer to the EU. Rupel told the weekly that he would notify Minister Picula of all of this. (hina) ms