CROATIA FEARS PUNISHMENT OF BOSNIA'S HDZ WILL HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS

ZAGREB, Nov 17 (Hina) - Croatia fears the punishment of Bosnia's HDZ party by eliminating 13 candidates from the electoral list will have an adverse effect on the denouement of HDZ's conflict with the international community and that it will not improve the position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatia's Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a statement in the wake of a decision by Bosnia's Electoral Appeals Sub-Commission to take off the electoral list 13 members of the Croatian Democratic Union, the currently strongest Bosnian Croat party, elected at last weekend's poll. The statement reminds that "ahead of the election, the Croatian Government warned representatives of the international community that changes of current electoral rules might have negative effects, but that it did not support the holding of a HDZ-initiated referendum during the election." HDZ called the referendum for Bosnian Croats to say what they thought of their position and status in Bosnia. The statement says the referendum was called for opinions on "undisputed issues, but its timing only caused a conflict between HDZ and the international community. This conflict is detrimental to the interests of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the most voted party among Bosnian Croats, HDZ should represent, promote and protect these interests," says the statement. The Croatian Foreign Ministry urged re-establishing dialogue between HDZ representatives in Bosnia's authorities and representatives of the international community to defuse current tensions, find a solution acceptable to all, and turn Bosnia towards a future in Europe. (hina) ha