BOSNIAN CROAT PARTIES REVOLTED BY RELEASE OF BOSNIAK OFFICERS

MOSTAR, Dec 14 (Hina) - A decision of the Hague war crimes tribunal to temporarily release four Bosniak officers charged with crimes against Croats in Herzegovina and central Bosnia has caused revolt among Bosnian Croat parties in Mostar. The Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) issued a statement saying the latest decision by the Hague tribunal "very clearly demonstrates the unequal treatment of the sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina." The party reminded about Croats from central Bosnia who were recently acquitted after having spent more than four years in the Hague prison, while neither the Federation government nor the Tribunal are considering granting them compensation or giving them the possibility to seek moral satisfaction. The party criticised the Federation government for giving guarantees for the temporary release of the four Bosniaks, and claimed it financed their defence. "This disgraceful and discriminatory act of the Government of the so-called Alliance for Changes, and the Hague Tribunal too, sends a very bad message to the Croat people in Bosnia-Herzegovina," the party said. The Croat Christian Democrats objected that the suspects were released from detention on the basis of guarantees provided by the Federation Government and not the state Council of Ministers, whereby the tribunal recognised the federation's statehood and directly jeopardised the integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The party called the Federation a "criminal institution implementing institutional terrorism," and called on Croat officials to leave its government. The party also reminded that so far the Hague Tribunal had not allowed any Croat to defend himself in freedom. (hina) rml