CROATIA WANTS AGREEMENT ON BORDER CROSSING WITH SLOVENIA ( Editorial: --> 8130 )

( Editorial: --> 8130 ) LJUBLJANA, Nov 4 (Hina) - The Croatian embassy in Slovenia advocated an agreement between Croatia and Slovenia which would enable Croatian citizens who are traveling to Italy to cross the borders between Croatia and Slovenia and Slovenia and Italy just by presenting their ID cards instead of passports. Counselor Minister at the Croatian embassy in Ljubljana, Zdravko Gavran, told Hina on Tuesday that he suggested an urgent meeting of representatives of the Croatian and Slovene interior and foreign ministries aimed at establishing what needs to be done for an inter- state agreement on the abolition of visas of 1992 to come into effect as soon as possible. The agreement was amended this year and is already in use at the border between Croatia and Slovenia although not published in either country's official gazettes. Croatian diplomatic sources believe that the use and official taking effect of the agreement would enable Croatian citizens to cross the border between Slovenia and Italy, and possibly, between Slovenia and other countries with only an ID card. Croatia has signed an agreement with Italy, which allows Italian and Croatian citizens to cross each others' borders without passports, just with ID cards. The Slovene police warned on Tuesday that passports would be required for Croatian citizens on the border between Slovenia and Italy. (hina) lm 041747 MET nov 97