The leader of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BH), Dragan Covic, said he opposed "cosmetic changes to the Constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina, because so far they have always been to the detriment of the Croat people".
Covic opposed the country's being composed of two entities, Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying that Croats in the Federation were second-class citizens. He was speaking to reporters in Brussels, where the European Commission and the US Institute for Peace organised a three-day conference on constitutional changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which started today.
The president of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), Dragan Cavic, said that the survival of Republika Srpska was "a basic condition" which must not be questioned.
"Everything can be changed, except for the fact that three constituent peoples live in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and this must be identified in the constitutional order," Cavic said.
The leader of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Sulejman Tihic, supported the strengthening of central bodies of authority.
The leaders of eight political parties from Bosnia-Herzegovina were acquainted with a summary of draft constitutional changes proposed by the US Institute for Peace.
The summary does not envisage changes to the country's administrative and territorial set-up, but it envisages changes to the role of the state presidency, the government and the parliament.
The Institute proposes replacing the current three-man state presidency with one president who would be elected by the parliament, or electing one president with two vice-presidents, who would rotate every 16 months. It also proposes erasing the provision which says that the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina is composed of one Bosniak, one Croat and one Serb.
As regards the country's government, the Institute proposes introducing the posts of prime minister and two deputy prime ministers.
The task force which made the draft constitutional changes could not reach agreement on whether to keep the existing name of the country's government - the Council of Ministers - or rename it government.