JELAVIC: HVO MUST NOT BE DISBANDED

MOSTAR, April 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Defence Council (HVO) must not and can not be disbanded, Ante Jelavic, the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, said at a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the HVO in Mostar on Wednesday. Any drastic act of threatening HVO's normal functioning or a political decision on disbanding it would be a direct violation of the Dayton peace agreement, Jelavic said. He warned that without the HVO the security and strength of the Bosnian Croat people would be jeopardised, which, he added, could lead to another wave of emigration. Jelavic said the 60-percent decrease of funds from the Croatian budget for Bosnian Croats was unexpected, adding this would hamper the normal functioning of the HVO. Warning that a recent report by the UN Mission to Bosnia said that the task of the new Croatian authority was to degrade the power of BH Croats, Herzegovina Croats, and of the Herzeg-Bosnian Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Jelavic said it was sad that the UN Mission wanted to involve the current Croatian authorities into foul work. He added the Mission was calling for the arrest of a number of HVO generals from Herzegovina for allegedly committed war crimes. (hina) mm rml