SARAJEVO, Sept 18 (Hina) - Croatia wants to contribute to Bosnia-Herzegovina'a bids to become a democratic European state of three equal peoples as soon as possible, Croatian parliament deputy speaker Zdravko Tomac said in Sarajevo on
Monday.
SARAJEVO, Sept 18 (Hina) - Croatia wants to contribute to Bosnia-
Herzegovina'a bids to become a democratic European state of three
equal peoples as soon as possible, Croatian parliament deputy
speaker Zdravko Tomac said in Sarajevo on Monday.#L#
Speaking to the press after a meeting the Croatian parliament's
Foreign Affairs Committee held with representatives of BH's
parliament, Tomac said Croatia and BH remained firmly linked
because events in either state directly influenced the situation in
the other.
"The success of one state simultaneously means the stability of the
other and vice versa," said Tomac, adding he was happy with today's
successful talks with BH's MPs.
He said Croatia's government wanted to convince Bosnian Croats that
they should settle their issues through direct cooperation with the
other two constituent peoples in BH.
"We want to help in solving the problems which Croats in BH face, but
definitely without interfering with the internal matters of a
sovereign country," said Tomac.
He added the Dayton peace agreement represented a temporary
framework for dealing with existing problems which would not
necessarily stay like this forever.
"I personally see BH in the future as a cantonised state with strong
central bodies of authority in which the results of ethnic
cleansing will be annulled," Tomac said, adding the establishment
of an "associated federation" of three peoples was a possible
solution for BH.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of BH's House of
Representatives, Branko Dodic, told reporters today's talks
concluded it was necessary to settle refugee-related issues faster
and more effectively.
It was agreed to hold a conference by year's end to tackle all
aspects of the matter and provide appropriate solutions to
facilitate faster returns of refugees and displaced persons to pre-
war homes. The conference will most probably be held in the Bosnian
Serb capital Banja Luka.
"BH will be a democratic and stable country only through successful
cooperation with neighbours - Croatia and Yugoslavia," said Dodic.
"The fact that we lived in a common state for 70 years should not be a
hurdle, but an incentive for future cooperation," he added.
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