JELAVIC RESPONDS TO US DIPLOMAT'S CLAIM THAT HE IS "NEW KRAJISNIK"

SARAJEVO, Feb 21 (Hina) - A Bosnian Croat leader, Ante Jelavic, on Sunday officially responded to statements of Robert Gelbard, the US President Clinton's special envoy for the Dayton Accords implementation, labelling this Croat member of Bosnia- Herzegovina's Presidency, as "a new Krajisnik" and claiming that he may face the same fate as that former Serb leader and hard-liner. Jelavic issued a statement saying that he absolutely appreciates the role of the United States and President Clinton, as well as of all his envoys and representatives, in the assistance they offered to stop the war conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, Mr. Gelbard's statement is such one which makes the entire process of arranging Bosnia-Herzegovina as a viable, territorially integrated, democratic and de-centralised country, go into reverse, Jelavic said. He said that in this way Gelbard could only widen, rather than bridge, the gap of Bosnian Croats' distrust of international diplomats, adding that it did not serve Croat representatives' interests. "It is in our interest to ensure all rights of the Croatian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina without jeopardising other peoples" Jelavic said adding that they want "to live one by anoother under normal circumstances." (hina) ms