MILLER: THOSE WHO ADVOCATE 3RD ENTITY PROTECT ONLY THEIR INTERESTS

MOSTAR, Jan 23 (Hina) - Th new US Administration is fully committed to respecting the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the American ambassador to that country, Thomas Miller, said during his visit to the southern city of Mostar on Tuesday. The American diplomat emphasised this commitment responding to reporters' question to comment on statements of the new Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica in which he "flirted with ideas about Bosnia's division." Ambassador Miller expressed his concern over the current developments in Bosnia and in particular criticised certain leaders of the Bosnian Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), who advocated the establishment of the third entity in the country. Under the Dayton Peace Agreement which stopped the horrendous war in Bosnia in late 1995, the country consists of two entities - the Croat-Moslem Federation and the Republic of Srpska. According to Miller, HDZ leaders protect only their own economic interests with insisting on the set-up of the third entity. How could they advocate anything like that when they live substantially above the level of ordinary people, build luxurious houses, drive fancy cars and run companies which are only to their benefit, the angry diplomat wondered. In this context he added that some officials of this political party who presented the international community as an enemy of Bosnian Croats, did gross injustice both to the international community and the Croat people. (hina) ms