BRCKO CROATS DENIED RIGHT TO EQUALITY

TUZLA, Jan 26 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) county committee in Soli, an area in the northern Bosnian town of Tuzla, on Wednesday warned Croats were denied the right to equality as regards employment in public and state services. If in establishing the first joint institution in the Brcko district one failed to act in line with the 1991 census, this constitutes support for the results of ethnic cleansing, the HDZ Soli said in an open letter to the BH public and international representatives. In the letter, addressed to the Brcko supervisor Robert Farrand, the HDZ said it doubted the authenticity of the establishment of Brcko police of January 20, as well as the authenticity of implementation of regulations from the final arbitration decision on Brcko of April 5, 1999. The HDZ Soli requests that Ambassador Farrand explain in public why "only some 10% of Croats have been admitted to the Brcko police, if it is known that before the war Croats made 26% of the population in Brcko municipality," as well as why the 20 Croat police officers who had been employed with the Ravne-Brcko administration until the establishment of the police have not been given jobs. "If in establishing the first joint institution in the district one failed to act in line with the 1991 census, this means that the results of ethnic cleansing have been supported. We believe that the way the police force has been established prevents Croats from equal participation in public and state services. We fear, regrettably, that such practice will continue during the establishment of future institutions in Brcko district as well," the letter read. (hina) rml