HDZ CALLS ON CROATS NOT TO REFRAIN FROM RETURNING TO SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, March 2 (Hina) - The Sarajevo Canton's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) invited all Croats who left their Sarajevo homes during the war not to refrain from returning, adding that Bosnian Croats must not surrender before obstacles set by local authorities. The Sarajevo HDZ on Tuesday released a statement reading that Sarajevo had never in its history been less multi-ethnic city than it is today, adding that the Bosniak political leadership wanted to conceal that fact by trying to avert attention to other areas. The Sarajevo HDZ accused Bosniak authorities of forging data on the return of non-Bosniaks, including the implementation of the Sarajevo Declaration according to which 20,000 Croats and Serbs were to return to the city by the end of 1998. The statement stressed that an association called "Deklaracija Sarajevu" (Declaration to Sarajevo), whose goal is to prevent the return of refugees to their homes using any means, had been established under the auspices of Bosniak authorities. The current situation could change only if all political parties and international organisations active in BH become involved, the Sarajevo HDZ asserted. (hina) it mm/lml