ROME, 28 June (Hina) - At the end of his two-day visit to Italy, Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters that the visit was important and very useful. On Friday, Granic met his counterpart Lamberto Dini and the Vatican
state secretary, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. On Saturday, he visited the Croat community in the region of Molise.
ROME, 28 June (Hina) - At the end of his two-day visit to Italy,
Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters that the visit was
important and very useful.
On Friday, Granic met his counterpart Lamberto Dini and the Vatican
state secretary, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. On Saturday, he visited the
Croat community in the region of Molise. #L#
During his visit to the region, Granic stressed the importance of
agreements he signed yesterday with Dini and of an agreement on the
protection of Croat and Italian minorities in the two countries, signed
at the end of the last year. The agreement would soon be ratified by the
two parliaments, Granic said.
He also stressed the importance of an agreement on the cancellation
of passport requirements, which will soon enable Croatians to travel to
Italy only with their ID cards.
Representatives of the Croat community from Molise thanked Croatia
for its care and stressed the need for closer cooperation in economy,
culture and tourism.
Granic exchanged presents with the mayors of three towns in which
Croat communities live.
Granic and his hosts stressed the need for the preservation of the
Croatian language and schools which have classes in Croatian.
They also stressed the possibility of organising courses in
Croatian at Molise universities and exchanging students.
The visit to Italy was one of my most successful visits, Granic
said. The Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro would probably visit
Croatia in autumn, when Croatia and Italy would sign an agreement on
friendship and cooperation, he said.
(hina) rm
281507 MET jun 97