ZAGREB, Oct 27 (Hina) - During talks with the highest officials of the Organisation for Security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatia received guarantees that in the new way of electing representatives into
the Bosnian Federation Assembly's House of Peoples, as decided by the OSCE Provisional Electoral Commission, the rights of the Croat people would be protected, and a fair division of parliament seats following the elections secured.
ZAGREB, Oct 27 (Hina) - During talks with the highest officials of
the Organisation for Security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in
Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatia received guarantees that in the new way
of electing representatives into the Bosnian Federation Assembly's
House of Peoples, as decided by the OSCE Provisional Electoral
Commission, the rights of the Croat people would be protected, and a
fair division of parliament seats following the elections secured.
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Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic who held talks with the
OSCE Mission chief, Robert Barry, along with Foreign Minister
Tonino Picula, said after the meeting that the talks had focused on
overall problems of the upcoming elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina
and comments forwarded by the Croatian government.
"We are encouraged by a statement made by Barry that they were
prepared to discuss in detail the suggestions of all parties in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and suggest after elections concrete measures
aimed at protecting the constitutiveness of both peoples (in the
Bosnian Federation, Croats and Bosniaks)," Granic said, adding he
held Croatia's non-paper as a good action.
The decision of the PEC relates to the election of representatives
into the federal parliament's House of Peoples who are not being
elected by voters at elections, but representatives who had been
elected into canton assemblies in elections.
According to the PEC decision, MPs for the House of Peoples will be
elected by all representatives of canton assemblies, while Croat
representatives had been elected so far by Croat representatives in
canton assemblies, and Bosniaks elected Bosniak MPs.
The Croatian Government on Wednesday forwarded the OSCE Permanent
Council and High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Wolfgang
Petritsch a non-paper expressing concern that the application of
the electoral law and the new regulations drawn up by the OSCE's
Provisional Electoral Commission "could bring into question the
issues of equality, sovereignty and constitutive quality of the
Croat people in Bosnia-Herzegovina".
US Ambassador Robert Barry, also the chairman of the PEC, used the
opportunity Friday to explain the origin and constitutionality of
the PEC decision.
I relayed the comments and decisions of the Bosnian Constitutional
Court to Granic and Picula, confirming the fact that our decision
was in line with the Constitution, Barry said.
Besides, he added, the decision originated from a draft electoral
law checked by experts on the constitution from Bosnia-Herzegovina
and the world, who also found it to be completely founded.
As regards criticism that the decision violated the Constitution of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Barry recalled a statement of the Bosnian
Constitutional Court president, who said that the Constitutional
Court decision had rescinded some provisions of the entity
constitution which had been in breach of the constitution of
Bosnia-Herzegovina. he expressed conviction the issue of
constitutionality had thus been solved for good.
We are interested that the decision be fairly implemented after the
elections and we will try to guarantee that, in line with the
Bosnian Constitution, the rights of the Croat people as a whole, not
a particular party, be completely protected during the allocation
of seats, Barry said.
We carefully checked the legality, constitutionality and fairness
of the decision and we stick to it, he said.
Picula described the talks a dialogue aimed at removing the reasons
for which the Croatian government had sent its non-paper.
The dialogue must continue, as we all care for democracy to be
better after the elections, but the system being inaugurated after
the elections should stick to certain principles, and guarantee a
fair political representation of citizens and peoples in Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Picula said.
Croatian side is truly optimistic after these talks that the
reasons for motivating us for this form of communication will cease
to exist, he added.
The Croatian Government's Office for Public Relations said in a
statement Granic and Picula had stressed that it was the goal of the
Croatian government to see a consistent implementation of the
Constitution and Dayton Agreement, to protect the constitutiveness
of peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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