MOSTAR MOSTAR, Sept 25 (Hina) - The Bosnian Federation's Defence Minister, Mijo Anic, on Tuesday toured the command of the first guards corps of the Croat-Muslim entity's army in the southern city of Mostar. On that occasion, the
members of the federal army's Croat component lined up ceremonially before the minister. This is the first visit Anic, appointed to the ministerial post by the Alliance for Changes ruling coalition, makes to an army camp in Croat-populated parts of Herzegovina since the Croat National Congress, led by the Croat party HDZ BiH, which boycotted the constitution of the new authorities, called on Croat soldiers to leave the barracks of the federal army last spring. Addressing the soldiers in Mostar, Minister Anic appealed they show professional conduct, and added "that politics and national interests are a matter of political parties and parliament rather than the military." Anic prom
MOSTAR, Sept 25 (Hina) - The Bosnian Federation's Defence Minister,
Mijo Anic, on Tuesday toured the command of the first guards corps
of the Croat-Muslim entity's army in the southern city of Mostar.
On that occasion, the members of the federal army's Croat component
lined up ceremonially before the minister.
This is the first visit Anic, appointed to the ministerial post by
the Alliance for Changes ruling coalition, makes to an army camp in
Croat-populated parts of Herzegovina since the Croat National
Congress, led by the Croat party HDZ BiH, which boycotted the
constitution of the new authorities, called on Croat soldiers to
leave the barracks of the federal army last spring.
Addressing the soldiers in Mostar, Minister Anic appealed they show
professional conduct, and added "that politics and national
interests are a matter of political parties and parliament rather
than the military."
Anic promised he would do all to improve the soldiers' material
status.
Later at a news conference, the minister announced the possibility
of establishing umbrella institutions of the future joint army of
Bosnia-Herzegovina in the coming year.
He reminded that Bosnia's entry into NATO's Partnership for Peace
programme was conditioned on the formation of a single army in the
country. In this context, he said it was possible a joint military
command and a single defence ministry would be established at the
state level.
Anic opposes a proposal that the future joint army be constituted of
the current federal army (the army of the Croat-Muslim entity) and
the army of the Bosnian Serb entity. He advocates the creation of
the joint military with three components: Croat, Muslim (Bosniak)
and Serb.
I will invest maximum efforts to protect Croat national interests,
Anic said.
He maintains that Sarajevo should equally treat all persons whose
hand-over to The Hague is asked by the UN war crimes tribunal
(ICTY). The minister is against a more privileged treatment which
some indictees like Sefer Halilovic, who flew to The Hague earlier
in the day, or another three Bosnian army Muslim officers, who
arrived in the Scheveningen prison last month, enjoyed during their
departure from the Bosnian capital.
(hina) ms