BOSNIAN HDZ COMMENTS ON ELECTION OF SANADER AS HDZ PRESIDENT

MOSTAR, April 22 (Hina) - Commenting on the re-election of Ivo Sanader as president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the HDZ of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday expressed hope that it announced a more favourable political climate in Croatia and a new, more ambitious and promising government that would take care of the interests of Bosnian Croats. #L# The party said in a statement that it absolutely respected the political will of the participants of the HDZ's seventh convention to elect Ivo Sanader their president. "Sanader has always promptly reacted to all our requests and helped Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina as much as he could in their struggle for an equal position in relation with the other two constitutional peoples," the party said in a statement. Several HDZ BiH officials who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that part of their party had expected Ivic Pasalic to be elected HDZ president. Opinions which can be heard in Bosnian Croat political circles indicate that Sanader's victory could prompt the HDZ BiH to be more co-operative with the international community. The HDZ BiH recently rejected to accept the so-called Sarajevo Agreement on constitutional changes in the country, which was backed by the entire international community. (hina) sp sb