SPECIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN FEDERATION, CROATIA IS WORTHLESS PAPER, SAYS JELAVIC

MOSTAR, Dec 28 (Hina) - The Agreement on Special Relations between Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina is a worthless piece of paper, and Bosnian Croats need double citizenship, the Croat member of the three-man Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ante Jelavic, said Thursday. Jelavic stressed the agreement on special relations was "a noose around the necks of Bosnian Croats ... and a worthless piece of paper," adding the most important annexes to the agreement would never be signed. Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina are no longer interested in taking part in elections in the Republic of Croatia. "We no longer wish to vote at Croatian presidential and parliamentary elections," Jelavic asserted. The Bosnian Croat leader requested an urgent signing of an agreement on double citizenship between Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina, warning that, due to its non-existence, Bosnian Croats are in danger of becoming a national minority. Such a tendency, according to Jelavic, is evident in some individuals of the international community who, as he put it, "under the flag of democracy" with to introduce the civil system 'one voter one vote' by which Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina would be a "national minority". The political leadership in 2001 expects the realisation of declarations adopted in New Travnik which call on Croat equality within the country. (hina) lml