FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA SEEKS STRONGER COOPERATION WITH CROATIA

ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - The north-eastern Italian province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia has good cooperation with the northern Adriatic County of Istria and is interested in strengthening its cooperation with other Croatian counties, Prime Minister of the Italian province Roberto Antonione told reporters in Zagreb on Tuesday. Antonione, who is in a two-day visit to Croatia, held talks on cooperation with Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader. The Italian Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar tomorrow, where he is to hold talks on cooperation between his province and Croatia's Vukovar-Srijem County. The cooperation with Istria County is very good, and we absolutely support it, Sanader said, adding they discussed the visit of the Italian official to eastern Croatian counties, in whose reconstruction the Italian province would participate more intensively. According to Sanader, the talks also addressed the issue of minorities. He said he was grateful to Antonione for giving his full support to the recently re-established Croatian community in Trieste. Also present at the talks was the president of the Croatian community in Trieste, the capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Province, Damir Murkovic. Murkovic said that good relations between the Italian and Croatian governments meant a lot for Croats in Italy. (hina) it