BH PRESIDENCY DECIDES TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH YUGOSLAVIA

SARAJEVO, Dec 7 (Hina) - The Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday adopted a decision on the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as well as a separate statement confirming Sarajevo's and Belgrade's readiness to resolve all open questions. At a session held in Sarajevo the BH Presidency authorised Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic to sign a protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations with his Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic. Along with this document, the two sides should also sign a special statement which the Yugoslav side insisted on. During a visit to Sarajevo two weeks ago, Yugoslavia's Svilanovic proposed that the statement-annex should read that the establishment of diplomatic relations would enable the two countries "to make decisive steps toward accelerating the resolution of the succession issue, individualising responsibility for war crimes and overcoming disputes before international institutions." Initially, this formulation caused opposition by the Bosniak side which feared that the statement could affect the withdrawal of a lawsuit for aggression Bosnia-Herzegovina filed against Yugoslavia before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 1993. The BH Presidency today adopted a slightly changed version of the statement to be signed by the two ministers. The last version reads that diplomatic relations will, among else, "contribute to the resolution of mutual disputes." A statement the BH Presidency released today explicitly states that the establishment of diplomatic relations has nothing to do with the Hague lawsuit. (hina) rml ,