SARAJEVO, May 31 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic began his first visiting day in Bosnia-Herzegovina with meetings with representatives of cultural and intellectual associations in Sarajevo. Political subjects were discussed
with the president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Alija Izetbegovic. The unannounced meeting with Izetbegovic was described by Mesic as "talks between friends". Recalling events from the past confirmed the already stated assessment by Mesic and Izetbegovic that attempts to divide Bosnia have caused the most part of the country's tragedy. The present for this country depends on how much the international community will assist its consolidation financially and economically, because this is what its full integration depends on, Mesic said. "We agreed that central Bosnian government bodies should have a larger extent of authority, although it must be accepted that
SARAJEVO, May 31 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic began his
first visiting day in Bosnia-Herzegovina with meetings with
representatives of cultural and intellectual associations in
Sarajevo. Political subjects were discussed with the president of
the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Alija Izetbegovic.
The unannounced meeting with Izetbegovic was described by Mesic as
"talks between friends".
Recalling events from the past confirmed the already stated
assessment by Mesic and Izetbegovic that attempts to divide Bosnia
have caused the most part of the country's tragedy.
The present for this country depends on how much the international
community will assist its consolidation financially and
economically, because this is what its full integration depends on,
Mesic said.
"We agreed that central Bosnian government bodies should have a
larger extent of authority, although it must be accepted that
entities do exist, but they should and cannot become states," Mesic
asserted.
Commenting on the policy of the Croatian Democratic Union of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ), Mesic said the organisation should
primarily assert itself as a party, and not as a political
movement.
Mesic holds that Ante Jelavic's statements (HDZ's former
president) that this party will not return to institutions of the
system should not be taken seriously because they are stances of a
person who chose not to take part in politics.
Asked to comment on the utterance by NATO's Secretary-General
George Robertson that countries in the region should unite so it
would not disintegrate, President Mesic said his words were most
probably misinterpreted.
"We should all together turn towards European integration
processes. This region is still a crisis area and should be
stabilised. However, nobody is even considering establishing any
new union to the effect of the former Yugoslavia ... We should
cooperate, but under the presupposition of no changes to borders,
while mutual problems should be solved on a bilateral basis," Mesic
asserted.
(hina) lml