SARAJEVO, March 13 (Hina) - An idea about establishing the third entity in Bosnia has come too late, said a deputy international High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jacques Klein, on Saturday. Bosnian Croats will realise their
interests in the best way if they cooperate with the international community in the conduct of the Dayton accords, the American diplomat told a news conference in Sarajevo. I can understand the Bosnian Croats' feeling of insecurity and jeopardy, he said adding that the war made Croats the least numerous people in the country. However after Dayton it was too late to set up the third entity, although it might have meant a greater level of security for this constituent people in Bosnia, he added. Under the Dayton agreement, Bosnia officially comprises two entities - the Croat-Moslem Federation and the Serb Republic. Klein described Croatian Tudjman's act of distancing him
SARAJEVO, March 13 (Hina) - An idea about establishing the third
entity in Bosnia has come too late, said a deputy international High
Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jacques Klein, on
Saturday.
Bosnian Croats will realise their interests in the best way if they
cooperate with the international community in the conduct of the
Dayton accords, the American diplomat told a news conference in
Sarajevo.
I can understand the Bosnian Croats' feeling of insecurity and
jeopardy, he said adding that the war made Croats the least numerous
people in the country.
However after Dayton it was too late to set up the third entity,
although it might have meant a greater level of security for this
constituent people in Bosnia, he added.
Under the Dayton agreement, Bosnia officially comprises two
entities - the Croat-Moslem Federation and the Serb Republic.
Klein described Croatian Tudjman's act of distancing himself from
ideas about the third entity as very important.
He believed that this was a very clear message to hard-liners in
Herzegovina who advocated such an idea.
Westendorp's deputy said it was obvious that Croatia's President
wanted the return of Croats to central Bosnia as well. It was also
clear that logic of division in Bosnia could not function, he
added.
It was in the interest of Croatia that Bosnia should be a stable
country, he told reporters.
U.S. diplomat warned that Croatia would be approaching European
integration processes at the same speed at which Bosnia would do
it.
Commenting on the current developments in the Bosnian Serb entity,
Klein said the dismissal of Nikola Poplasen from the post of the
President of the Serb republic was the final decision and the
international community was now expecting from local political
structures to harmonise their views on Poplasen's successor.
He described as final also a ruling of the international
arbitration commission to arrange the disputed Bosnian town of
Brcko into a neutral district which will be under control of Bosnian
central authorities. Klein called on representatives of the two
entities to agree on the way how to implement this decision of the
international arbiter in order to aver repeated interventions of
the international community.
(hina) ms