EUROTEL OFFICIAL SAYS ONE TV CHANNEL NOT ENOUGH FOR BH CROATS

MOSTAR, Jan 8 (Hina) - An official of the Mostar-based TV station Eurotel, Jozo Curic, on Friday commented on a statement by Croatian Radio Television (HRT) spokesman, who said that only one Croatian channel in Bosnia-Herzegovina would be sufficient to completely protect the interests of Bosnian Croats. The HRT spokesman's statement was published in today's issue of the "Slobodna Bosna" daily. Curic was speaking in the context of recent announcements of the international community that the re-broadcasting of three HRT channels in Bosnia-Herzegovina through Eurotel would be declared illegal, despite the fact that there are no adequate laws to regulate this issue. "There is no Croatian channel whatsoever which would be sufficient for BH Croats or completely protect their interests and sovereign rights. The cancellation of HRT channels and media separation of BH Croats from the Republic of Croatia will have serious consequences for their language and culture. There is no legal basis whatsoever to forcibly cut off BH Croats from Croatia. We are talking here about political reasons, that is, an attempt to decrease the influence of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Croatian state on the overall political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina", Curic said. (hina) rml