ROME, Nov. 23 Italy's culture minister, Francesco Rutelli, said Thursday he was disappointed and surprised by the decision of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles to return only 26 of 52 ancient artifacts in its collection that Italy says were illegally excavated from its soil. However, he expressed hope that negotiations with the museum could resume and that the issue could be resolved. "We were looking for an amicable settlement, considering that a trial is under way; that's why we were surprised," Mr. Rutelli said of the Getty's decision, made public on Tuesday. Marion True, the former curator of antiquities at the Getty, is now on trial in Rome on charges of conspiring to deal in looted antiquities. Reporters at Mr. Rutelli's news conference on Thursday were given excerpts of a dossier sent to the Getty last January that included evidence that Italian prosecutors have been using in their case against Ms. True. The dossier refers to 52 pieces. The Getty has offered to turn over 26. "But the 52 works are only part of the problem, and that's why we were hoping for an open dialogue to find a general accord," said Mr. Rutelli before producing a thick stack of photographs, an additional dossier, he said, of other pieces in the Getty collection that the Italian authorities are examining after being tipped off by scholars and associations that they are suspect. Earlier this year the Italian government reached an accord with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston by which each relinquished several contested works of art in exchange for long-term loans from Italy, which Mr. Rutelli will present to the museums when he travels to the United States next week. The minister said negotiations were under way with the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Princeton University Art Museum. But talks with the Getty have been more tempestuous. A preliminary accord was reached with regard to 32 objects in the Getty collection (according to which the museum would return 26 and Italy would relinquish its claims to 6), but negotiations broke down this month over the remaining pieces, in particular a bronze statue of a Greek youth. The Getty said the statue was found in international waters and was not subject to Italian law. Italy contended that because the statue was smuggled out of Italy, national claims should apply. Michael Brand, the Getty's director, said in a statement released Thursday that the museum had made substantial compromises during the negotiations and that Italy's position on the statue stood in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement. But Mr. Brand also said he hoped discussions would resume.