CRO. AMBASSADOR TAKES PART IN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON BOSNIA

NEW YORK, March 5 (Hina) - Croatia's Ambassador to the UN, Ivan Simonovic, on Tuesday took part in a Security Council debate on Bosnia-Herzegovina, in which he pointed to Bosnia's importance for Croatia and voiced hope Bosnia has a future in Europe. Bosnia "is crucial for Croatia as our neighbour, as the homeland for Bosnian Croats, as well as our economic partner and as our friend," said Simonovic. The UN Security Council held a debate about Bosnia ahead of the transfer of authorities from the UN to the European Union. Addresses were made by the former international High Representative for Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch, special UN envoy for Bosnia Jacques Klein, and the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Common Security, Javier Solana. Simonovic expressed satisfaction with the fact that the EU is taking over the international role in Bosnia, and confidence this will enable the Dayton Bosnia to grow into a European one. Given administrative connections between the UN Mission in Bosnia and UN military observers of the Croatian peninsula of Prevlaka, Simonovic reiterated Croatia was confident the Prevlaka mission would end on July 15. (hina) ha sb