Kljujic, a former HDZ BiH chief and former Croat representative in Bosnia's collective presidency, told the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal that he had refused to participate in attempts to divide Bosnia, while Mate Boban and part of the then HDZ BiH leadership "were eager" to follow plans by Franjo Tudjman about the partition of Bosnia.
The witness described his meeting meeting with Tudjman in Zagreb on 27 December 1991 at which according to him they had discussed a possible division of Bosnia and the establishment of the Croat community of Herceg-Bosna.
More than a month after that meeting, Kljujic stepped down as the HDZ BiH chief, and the leadership was taken over by Boban and people "who took advantage of cousinly and parochial relations with officials in Zagreb", according to the witness.
Kljujic said that the policy of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina had changed in 1991 according to circumstances on the ground. At the beginning they had advocated a single Bosnia, later some were for the establishment of local political communities in towns with predominantly Croat population. Eventually the Croat Community of Herceg-Bosna (HZ HB) was established in November 1991.
"Tudjman primarily wanted to see the establishment of an independent Croatia, while what would happen to Bosnia was of far less importance to him," Kljujic said.
During his testimony, Kljujic had not mention the names of the indictees at this trial: Jadranko Prlic, Milivoj Petkovic, Slobodan Praljak, Bruno Stojic, Valentin Coric and Berislav Pusic.
The six men, former political and military leaders of the above-mentioned Herceg-Bosna, are indicted by the ICTY for war crimes committed in the campaign against Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and other non-Croats in the area of Herceg-Bosna during the Croat-Bosniak conflict in 1993 and 1994.
Mate Boban died several years ago.