Speaking at a press conference during a break in a meeting of the presidency of his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Sanader said that the HDZ wanted to have good and friendly relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Sanader called on the Bosnian Croat parties to work together on preserving the constituent status, sovereignty and equality of the ethnic Croats in that country following Sunday's general election. He said that his party had also advised this before the election and that the HDZ Presidency regretted that its advice had not been followed.
"We cannot give Bosnian Croats recipes as to how to protect and promote their interests. We believe that it would be wisest for them to present a common front, and whether they will form one parliamentary caucus is up to them," Sanader said.
The Prime Minister reiterated that Croatia was obliged, as a signatory to the Dayton peace agreement and under its own constitution, to care for the Bosnian Croats, without interfering in Bosnia-Herzegovina's internal affairs.
Asked if the HDZ saw itself responsible for the rift in its sister party in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sanader replied in the negative. He said that the main problem was that there were no close ties between the two parties, because the Bosnian HDZ had been suspended from membership of the European People's Party.
Asked to comment on the statement by Bosnian HDZ leader Ivo Miro Jovic that the Croats could move out of Bosnia-Herzegovina after the election, Sanader said: "I wouldn't comment on Jovic's statements. The election results best speak for themselves."