SARAJEVO, May 9 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Civil Affairs Minister Safet Halilovic has said recent announcements that an agreement on the southern Croatian port of Ploce could be ratified by the end of the year are unfounded. He has
also accused Croatia's previous government of attempting to trick the Bosnian side during negotiations on this issue.
SARAJEVO, May 9 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Civil Affairs Minister
Safet Halilovic has said recent announcements that an agreement on the
southern Croatian port of Ploce could be ratified by the end of the
year are unfounded. He has also accused Croatia's previous government
of attempting to trick the Bosnian side during negotiations on this
issue.#L#
Halilovic was commenting in Dnevni Avaz of Sunday on the announcement
of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Bosnian Presidency chairman
Sulejman Tihic that a final solution for the status of the Ploce port
might be found by the end of 2004.
Speaking to reporters after the unofficial meeting with Mesic in
Sarajevo on Friday, Tihic said Croatia's demands should be
acknowledged and the final solution satisfy both countries'
interests.
According to Halilovic, there are no concrete steps that would
corroborate such claims.
He accused the Croatian side of stalling the settlement of the status
of Ploce issue, and said incumbent Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and the
parliamentary majority should ratify the agreement.
Halilovic, the leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action,
objected to the adoption of a protocol to the Ploce agreement
harmonised last year by Croatia's then PM Ivica Racan and Bosnia's
then Presidency chairman Adnan Terzic.
Halilovic said the agreement should be redrafted in a way which would
make it acceptable to both sides.
(Hina) ha