NEW SPIRIT IN THE COOPERATION BETWEEN CROATIA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

SARAJEVO, March 24 (Hina) - Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic said in Sarajevo Friday that numerous open issues had been initiated during a session of the Interstate council for Cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina, which was also attended by Croatian President Stipe Mesic, but added a completely new spirit of mutual understanding prevailed the discussion, as well as the wish for the removal of existing obstacles. #L# At a news conference Izetbegovic held with Mesic and the two other members of the Bosnian Presidency, Ante Jelavic and Zivko Radisic, Izetbegovic said there were currently at least a dozen areas in which relations should be determined as a priority. Among issues "which have been accumulating for years and need patient solving", Izetbegovic underlined trade, property rights relations, social insurance, employment, dual citizenship, customs cooperation and the extradition of crimes suspects. He said agreement had been reached in intensifying cooperation between the two countries within Stability Pact working tables and in probing the possibility of mutual representation of the two countries through their network of diplomatic and consular offices. Izetbegovic explained that in practice this would mean Bosnia representing Croatia in countries of the Near East where it has more numerous embassies and consulates, while Croatia would be representing the interests of Bosnia-Herzegovina in South America. "We decided to have the foreign ministries draft a special agreement on the issue," he said. The Interstate Council for Cooperation has adopted a special statement on the implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Agreement pertaining to the rights of refugees to the restitution of the homes they had owned before the war. The return of refugees and reconstruction have been confirmed in the statement as tasks of priority of all bodies of authority which are simultaneously committed to solve these problems more efficiently. Mesic described the talks in Sarajevo as very concrete, announcing the next Interstate Council meeting in Zagreb next week. "If one thing must be stressed then it is the fact that we all understand that refugees must be granted the right to return as this is the precondition for normal communication and solutions to all outstanding issues," Mesic said. Asked about possible further financial assistance to the Croat component of the Bosnian Federation Army, Mesic said solutions must be found which would be different from those hitherto. "An army in any state cannot be under three commands with three sources of financing," Mesic asserted. He added nobody was being particularly helped by buying them cannons, and Croatia wishes and should provide assistance in improving living conditions and creating job opportunities. Izetbegovic told reporters his country stood behind requests for the extradition of Fikret Abdic, but stressed the Croatian Government had not voiced its final stance on the issue. Abdic was a successful businessman and politician from western Bosnia who pronounced this part of Bosnia-Herzegovina as autonomous during the war in the country. Because of his cooperation with the Bosnian and Croatian Serb armies, the Government in Sarajevo accused Abdic of war crimes. Abdic has Croatian citizenship and is currently living in Croatia. "There is information that the Croatian Government could try him under its laws. We have nothing against that, but Croatian justice organs should finally decide what to do," Izetbegovic stressed. Commenting the "Abdic case", president Mesic said the circumstances under which he had received Croatian citizenship were questionable. "Should a procedure determine there had been irregularities, I expect Abdic to undergo a fair trial in Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the process had been in order, however, everything necessary could be undertaken in Croatia, at the request of Bosnian justice organs," Mesic said. (hina) lml