SARAJEVO, March 23 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic said on Thursday the official talks he had begun in Sarajevo were proceeding in the best possible atmosphere. During talks with the three members of Bosnia's Presidency, Mesic
initiated all significant topics of interest for the two countries, he told reporters.
SARAJEVO, March 23 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic said on
Thursday the official talks he had begun in Sarajevo were
proceeding in the best possible atmosphere.
During talks with the three members of Bosnia's Presidency, Mesic
initiated all significant topics of interest for the two countries,
he told reporters.#L#
Immediately upon arriving in the Bosnian capital, President Mesic
met with Bosnian Presidency members Alija Izetbegovic, Ante
Jelavic and Zivko Radisic, later holding separate talks with each.
"We talked about the whole of Croatia's relations with Bosnia-
Herzegovina and its entities, but also on relations with
representatives of the Croat population in Bosnia-Herzegovina,"
Mesic told a press conference which Bosnian Presidency member
Jelavic also attended.
Bosnian Croats must be a constituent people throughout Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Mesic declared.
"I think in most part we have reached the maximum agreement possible
in discussing all open issues," he said.
According to Jelavic, Mesic's visit is a significant step forward
in the improvement of bilateral relations, especially in the
strengthening of institutional foundations.
"I think this will first of all mark a higher effectiveness of the
Interstate Council for Co-operation, in which we think the
priorities are the passing of a whole series of interstate
agreements, primarily on trade, social protection, property rights
relations, dual citizenship," said Jelavic.
He believes of extreme importance for the position of Croats in
Bosnia-Herzegovina is a consistent implementation of all
regulations of the Agreement on Special Relations between Croatia
and Bosnia's Croat-Muslim federation.
Bosnian Presidency chairman Izetbegovic's adviser Adamir Jerkovic
told reporters the Mesic talks accentuated the refugee return
issue.
"That is the central and hardest issue for both Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina," said Jerkovic, adding Presidency chairman
Izetbegovic had advocated that the issue be settled regionally, and
that Mesic agreed.
"That means that Croatian Serbs must be allowed to return to Knin,
in view of opening the possibility for Bosnian Croats and Muslims to
return to Republika Srpska (Bosnia's Serb entity)," Jerkovic
said.
He added Izetbegovic had asked Mesic to return Muslims national
status in Croatia.
"This is an entirely new, genuine and open tone in talks on
relations between the two countries," Jerkovic said.
The Bosnian Serb side also supported the regional concept for
settling the refugee issue, Zeljko Mirjanic, Bosnian Presidency
member Zivko Radisic's adviser, said. All refugees and displaced
persons must have an identical, equal status in exercising their
rights, he added.
"We have also concluded it is imperative to continue co-operating
with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia, because it is the best way to avoid the imposition of
the collective guilt feeling," Mirjanic said.
During separate talks with Mesic, Radisic tackled the issue of the
regulation of the state border between Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
In the afternoon, Mesic held talks with Bosnian federation
President Ejup Ganic, Vice President Ivo Andric Luzanski, Premier
Edhem Bicakcic, and Deputy Premier Dragan Covic.
On his first day in Sarajevo, the Croatian president should also
take a stroll and meet representatives of various citizens' and
cultural associations.
(hina) ha jn