PETRITSCH PROCLAIMS AMENDMENTS TO ENTITY CONSTITUTIONS

SARAJEVO, April 19 (Hina) - High Representative to Bosnia- Herzegovina Wolfgang Petritsch on Friday passed a decision on proclaiming amendments to the constitutions of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. #L# Petritsch told journalists in Sarajevo that his decision was founded entirely on the provisions of the so-called Sarajevo Agreement on Constitutional Changes of March 27. The High Representative said that with the Sarajevo Agreement the sides had reached an absolute consensus on how to best implement the Constitutional Court's ruling on all three peoples being constituent on the entire territory of the country. Petritsch explained that his decision practically meant that the amendments that the House of Peoples of the Federation Parliament adopted on Thursday, but the House of Representatives rejected, had come into force. Petritsch's decision also modified amendments that had been previously adopted in the Republika Srpska parliament by eliminating provisions that the Croats and Bosniaks were not pleased with. Petritsch said that the constitutional changes that were now to be implemented in line with the amendments were in fact a historical step for Bosnia-Herzegovina and would bring the country much closer to European democracies. (hina) sp sb