Bratislava  - The Slovak parliament Tuesday overruled a presidential veto on a law that allows use of Hungarian place names in textbooks for country's Hungarian minority.

The house overrode the veto in a 106-32 vote, while 12 lawmakers were absent. An absolute majority of 76 votes in the 150-seat house was required to throw out the veto issued by President Ivan Gasparovic in December.

The squabbling over the use of Hungarian place names in minority textbooks has contributed to a souring of diplomatic relations between Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary.

Ethnic Hungarians comprise about one tenth of Slovakia's 5.3- million-strong population.

The law returns to using both language versions, as had been common under the previous Slovak government of former premier Mikulas Dzurinda, which included a Hungarian minority party.

Slovak-Hungarian relations have been chilly for two years since current Prime Minister Robert Fico brought to government the Slovak National Party led by Jan Slota, a xenophobic politician who has stirred anti-Hungarian sentiments.

Slota once said he would send tanks on Budapest, and likened Hungary's Foreign Minister Kinga Goencz to Adolf Hitler.

The tensions between the two countries escalated again in recent months after Slovak police clashed with Hungarian fans at a football match in Hungarian-populated southern Slovakia.

The countries have so far failed to thaw relations and ease nationalistic tensions, despite high-level political meetings.

Slovakia and Hungary are historical foes. Slovakia had been part of Hungary until the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian empire after the World War I, in which Budapest lost more than two thirds of its territory under the so-called Treaty of Trianon. (dpa)