MOSTAR, March 16 (Hina) - Eight Bosnian Croat assistants or deputy assistants to the foreign minister of the Croat-Moslem Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Friday tendered their resignation explaining that act as a token of their
support to the Croat self-rule. Resignation was offered by Lieutenant General Nedjeljko Obradovic and Major General Ilija Nakic as well as by assistants to the federal ministry departments' heads, Pavo Dragun, Zeljko Karacic, Petar Barisic, Ljubo Beslic, Pavo Saravanja and Ivan Krstanovic. "We do not want to be a part of a political project nor participants in political projects which are being implemented beyond and against the will of the Croatian people," Pavo Dragun was quoted by the Mostar-based Herceg-Bosna radio station as saying on Friday. He added that the transition of authorities would be conducted in a legal manner according to the ministry's procedure.
MOSTAR, March 16 (Hina) - Eight Bosnian Croat assistants or deputy
assistants to the foreign minister of the Croat-Moslem Federation
of Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Friday tendered their resignation
explaining that act as a token of their support to the Croat self-
rule.
Resignation was offered by Lieutenant General Nedjeljko Obradovic
and Major General Ilija Nakic as well as by assistants to the
federal ministry departments' heads, Pavo Dragun, Zeljko Karacic,
Petar Barisic, Ljubo Beslic, Pavo Saravanja and Ivan Krstanovic.
"We do not want to be a part of a political project nor participants
in political projects which are being implemented beyond and
against the will of the Croatian people," Pavo Dragun was quoted by
the Mostar-based Herceg-Bosna radio station as saying on Friday.
He added that the transition of authorities would be conducted in a
legal manner according to the ministry's procedure.
A deputy commander of the army of the Croat-Moslem Federation,
Lieutenant General Dragan Curcic, offered his resignation to the
new federal defence minister, Mijo Anic, two days ago.
Yesterday Lt.Gen. Curcic was quoted by the same radio as saying that
he tendered his resignation as he wanted to be "loyal to the Croat
people" and that he believed that his act would contribute to the
settlement of the institutional crisis in Bosnia.
Minister Mijo Anic, of the New Croatian Initiative (a party led by
Kresimir Zubak) on Wednesday said in Sarajevo that deputy commander
Curcic had expressed his loyalty to him.
Soldiers of the Croat Defence Council (HVO) - the Croat component of
the federal army - did not put the Federation's insignia back on
their uniforms which they had removed under a decree issued by the
former defence minister Miroslav Prce. Thus they failed to respect
the decision of Anic, who rescinded his predecessor's decree.
Under a decree of the Assembly (led by the HDZ BiH party), which in
early March decided to establish the self-rule in Bosnian areas
populated mainly by Croats, as of tomorrow (17 March), the command
over the HVO will be assumed by the self-rule head, Marko Tokic, who
is barred from public office by a decision of the international High
Representative in Sarajevo, Wolfgang Petritsch.
Friday's meeting of the Assembly's legislative council at which
Martin Raguz was named to be the co-ordinator of the executive
council of the self-rule, took place in Kiseljak (outside Sarajevo)
and not in Mostar what had previously been announced.
Today, a large number of NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) cars
were patrolling Mostar streets and SFOR troops were seen at every
larger cross-roads every from time to time.
(hina) ms