CROAT NATIONAL CONGRESS URGES HVO TO DISBAND

MOSTAR, March 27 (Hina) - The leaders of the Croat National Congress (HNS) of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday issued a decree calling on members of the Croat Defence Council (HVO) to disband temporarily. The newly-appointed Defence Minister of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina (Bosnia's Croat-Muslim entity), Mijo Anic, is dubbed in the decree the so-called defence minister and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina is dubbed the so-called Federation. According to the decree, all replacements and appointments ordered by Anic are illegal as such decisions can be made only by a civil commander, i.e. the Croat member of the state presidency. Ante Jelavic was recently replaced from that office by High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch and Jelavic's successor has not been elected yet. "Considering that the SFOR (Stabilisation Force) is threatening forcible and illegal replacements and appointments, the HNS leadership advises and recommends that the HVO disband temporarily," the decree reads. The temporary self-disbanding of the HVO until the political crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina is resolved through political negotiations and the Croat people gain equality with the other two constituent peoples is a way for the Croat people to save itself from undemocratic and illegal pressures so that eventually the HVO could be an equal component of a future joint Bosnia-Herzegovina army, the decree reads. The decree dubs the Alliance for Changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina the country's so-called authority, adding that the Croat people hold it undemocratic, anti-constitutional, illegal and unlawful. The newly-appointed commander of the Federation Army's Croat component's Third Corps in Vitez (central Bosnia), Colonel Drago Tomic, whom Anic appointed last Friday, took over his office today. The hand-over ceremony, which was to include Tomic and his predecessor, Colonel Dusko Grubesic, did not take place. The two officers instead had a conversation which lasted an hour, after which formerly commanding officers left the command building in civilian clothing. Grubesic said that other officers had refused to accept the newly- appointed commander as well as all decisions made by Anic and the acting deputy commander of the Federation Army, Ivo Lozancic. The hand-over procedure was supervised by strong SFOR units. (hina) sb rml