MOSTAR, April 3 (Hina) - Twenty Croat officials in the interior ministry of the Bosnian Federation's Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, on Tuesday issued a statement in Mostar announcing that they do not recognise or accept the authorities
of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to those 20 officials, the incumbent authorities are "unconstitutional and illegitimate, set up by a political coup which remove (from the posts) legitimate representatives of the Croat people, elected at the November 2000 general election." We do not recognise the subordination to the federal Interior Ministry, which is a part of the unconstitutional federal authorities, in the area of our canton and we refute all threats and blackmailing issued by illegitimate officials of the federal Interior Ministry, read the statement, signed by the cantonal interior minister Dragan Mandic and another 19 officials. They als
MOSTAR, April 3 (Hina) - Twenty Croat officials in the interior
ministry of the Bosnian Federation's Herzegovina-Neretva Canton,
on Tuesday issued a statement in Mostar announcing that they do not
recognise or accept the authorities of the Federation of Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
According to those 20 officials, the incumbent authorities are
"unconstitutional and illegitimate, set up by a political coup
which remove (from the posts) legitimate representatives of the
Croat people, elected at the November 2000 general election."
We do not recognise the subordination to the federal Interior
Ministry, which is a part of the unconstitutional federal
authorities, in the area of our canton and we refute all threats and
blackmailing issued by illegitimate officials of the federal
Interior Ministry, read the statement, signed by the cantonal
interior minister Dragan Mandic and another 19 officials.
They also said they supported the 3 March 2001 decisions of the
Croat National Assembly on the establishment of the Croat self-rule
in Bosnian areas mainly populated by Croats.
Following this statement, a spokesman for the United Nations'
mission in Bosnia, Douglas Coffman, said today that disciplinary
measures would immediately be taken against those officials in the
Herzegovina-Neretva canton.
The measures may include the permanent ban on doing police tasks.
From the point of view of the UN, Dragan Mandic and another 19 police
officers have embarked on activities that are contrary to the
constitution and law, and ignored earlier warnings that all
policemen in Bosnia are expected to remain outside political
debates and continue professionally doing their job.
Spokesman Coffman said there was reason to expect similar problems
in the Croat-populated cantons of the Croat-Moslem entity.
He, however, is sure that most policemen are willing to do their job
in compliance with law, as they are aware that their conduct of
different nature will deprive them of job and pension.
(hina) sb ms