ITALIAN AMBASSADOR ON STATEMENT BY ANDREATTI

ZAGREB, Nov 16 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader invited Tuesday Italian Ambassador in Zagreb Salvatore Cilenta and he requested for an explanation from the Ambassador in connection with the statement issued by Italian Foreign Minister Beniamino Andreatta in Trieste on 13 November 1993, said the Croatian Foreign Ministry. According to foreign media, Minister Andreatta said that sanctions should be extended to Croatia and he also talked about the territorial compensations which should include the occupied territories in Croatia. Minister Sanader said that sanctions against Croatia would be unjustified because the Republic of Croatia did everything that was in its power in order to peacefully solve the problem on reintegration of the occupied territories under the UN protection into the constitutional and legal system of the Republic of Croatia. Croatia also did everything to peacefully stop the conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to find the permanent resolution which would be acceptable for all the three nations in that country. Ambassador Cilento explained that some media wrongly brought stresses from the statement by Minister Andreatte and that the Italian Minister did not talk about official attitudes of the Italian Government, but he pointed at considerations within the frame of the European Union about possible steps in case of continuation of the conflict. Minister Sanader said that more frequent contacts on all levels are needed because of consultations and in order to avoid possible misunderstandings and to maintain friendly relations between the two countries. 161915 MET nov 93