ZAGREB, March 9 (Hina) - The President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) of Croatia, Semso Tankovic, endorsed assessments of the position of Bosniaks (Moslems) in Croatia, given in the recent report of the U.S. State Department,
and claimed that the position of Bosniaks (Moslems) in this country was more difficult than it used to be in previous years. Tankovic added that by the signing of the Agreement on Special Relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina's (Croat-Moslem) Federation, Bosnian authorities had missed a historical chance to help eliminate mistakes of Croatian authorities toward Bosniaks. Therefore, Bosniak authorities shared the responsibility for Bosniaks' position in Croatia, the SDA leader said. At a news conference held on Tuesday, Tankovic confirmed allegations from the State Department report that authorities were trying to prevent the introduction of religion classes
ZAGREB, March 9 (Hina) - The President of the Party of Democratic
Action (SDA) of Croatia, Semso Tankovic, endorsed assessments of
the position of Bosniaks (Moslems) in Croatia, given in the recent
report of the U.S. State Department, and claimed that the position
of Bosniaks (Moslems) in this country was more difficult than it
used to be in previous years.
Tankovic added that by the signing of the Agreement on Special
Relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina's (Croat-
Moslem) Federation, Bosnian authorities had missed a historical
chance to help eliminate mistakes of Croatian authorities toward
Bosniaks. Therefore, Bosniak authorities shared the
responsibility for Bosniaks' position in Croatia, the SDA leader
said.
At a news conference held on Tuesday, Tankovic confirmed
allegations from the State Department report that authorities were
trying to prevent the introduction of religion classes in Croatian
areas where a considerable number of Bosniaks live.
In this context Tankovic blamed the mayor of Cetingrad (80 km south
of Zagreb) and said the same difficulties cropped up in the area of
Slunj. He added that none of Bosniaks from the village of Bogovolje
had been granted "domovnica", the Croatian citizenship
certificate, so far and accused the Croatian Government of
discriminating Bosniaks in the process of issuing citizenship
documents.
He said the Croatian Education Ministry did not recognise diplomas
given by the "Medresa", Moslem school institution in Zagreb,
although its four teachers held doctorates in sciences.
Tankovic backed a part of the U.S. report referring to a lack of
Bosniaks in the Croatian National Parliament, although they are the
second largest minority in the country.
The Croatian SDA political secretary, Faris Nanic, told reporters
that this party condemned initiatives for the set-up of the so-
called third entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, launched by some
Croatian organisations in that country.
Nanic described the initiative as a radical revision of the Dayton
agreement, and hailed the initiatives which advocate that all three
peoples (Croats, Moslems and Serbs) should be constituent
throughout Bosnia.
Nanic welcomed the ruling of the international arbitration
commission on the north-eastern Bosnian town of Brcko.
(hina) ms