CRO OPPOSITION OFFICIAL ON CROATS' FUTURE IN BOSNIA

MOSTAR, Mar 9 (Hina) - A two-day round table debating whether a Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) based on the Dayton peace agreement can have three identities without three entities continued in the southern Bosnian town of Mostar on Tuesday. The round table was organised by the Mostar branch office of Matica Hrvatska, a Croatian cultural organisation. Several participants said the establishment of a third entity, a Croat one, was necessary in BH. Currently BH has two entities - the Croat-Muslim federation and the Bosnian Serb entity. The vice president of Croatia's Social Democratic Party, Zdravko Tomac, objected to the idea of a third entity, estimating it would "lead to a new war with Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims)." Tomac believes a third entity would make Bosnian Croats achieve sovereignty only on 15 to 20 percent of BH territory. It would mean "ghettoisation", he said. "(...) the sovereignty of the Croat people (is necessary) throughout BH", Tomac said, pointing out "the guarantee of Croat equality is to canton first the BH Federation, and then the entire BH." Tomac believes "the survival of the Croat people in BH and the survival of a BH in which Croats will be sovereign across the entire territory is a significant issue for the entire Croat people's survival and for Croatia's stability." Three significant factors have to be taken into account, he said, adding these were that BH must not be divided, that it must survive as a state, and that Bosnian Croats must coexist with Bosnian Muslims and Serbs. Croatia and the Croat-Muslim Federation of BH should ratify their special relations agreement, Tomac said, but emphasised "the future of Croatia's relations is with an integral BH." (hina) ha rml