CROATIAN AMBASSADOR WRITES TO ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

ROME, Sept 15 (Hina) - Irredentist speeches arouse mistrust and instil hatred among peoples, Croatian Ambassador in Rome, Davorin Rudolf, wrote to Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, on Monday after 'esuli' held a rally in Trieste on Sunday. In the letter Ambassador Rudolf quoted one of organisers of the Trieste rally (whose statement was published in a paper 'Giornale' on Monday as well) saying that 'esuli' had gathered to confirm the importance of the lost countries to Italy. 'Esuli' is the name for Italians who lived in Istria and Dalmatia until the end of the WW II when they moved into Italy. They received compensation for property they left in their previous places of residence under the Rome Treaty signed by the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) and Italy. After the collapse of the SFRJ, Croatia and Slovenia, being its successors, agreed that each of them would pay its part of damages. Croatian Ambassador wrote to Italian Foreign Minister that events such as the Trieste rally burdened and slowed down the positive development and a rise in already good Croatian-Italian relations. Rudolf conveyed the unhappiness of his government to Italian Minister that these events happened and that officials of Italian authorities took part in them. At the end he voiced confidence that the bilateral relations would continue to develop in the spirit of friendship and good neighbourhood. (hina) jn mš 151921 MET sep 97