GELBARD IS BLACKMAILING BOSNIAN CROATS AND CROATIA - HDZ BIH

SARAJEVO, April 21 (Hina) - The Presidency of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) on Wednesday unanimously dismissed accusations made by special US envoy for the Balkans, Robert Gelbard, against the party and its president Ante Jelavic during his visit to Zagreb last week. HDZ BiH's Secretary-General Marko Tokic said after an extraordinary presidency session in Sarajevo that Gelbard's statements unequivocally indicated that he regarded both Bosnia- Herzegovina and Croatia from "colonial positions", at the same time expressing conviction that this was not the stance of the US Administration. "When Gelbard wilfully, insultingly and without arguments speaks about a Bosnian Presidency member as a hard-liner, extremist and mobster... he is actually relaying what he thinks of parliamentary institutions of the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina," Tokic said. The HDZ BiH Presidency said Gelbard had with his claims attempted to prepare ground for toppling the present party leadership and Jelavic personally, and bringing new political structures to authority. The HDZ Presidency also held that the attempt to discipline Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina through Croatia would fail. Croatia is being conditioned on its accession into the Partnership for Peace programme, as well as loans worth US$800 million, Tokic said. "We are convinced Croatia and its state authority, as well as the politically aware Opposition, will not allow the interests, fate and future of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, nor Croatian strategic interests in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to be jeopardised for these goals," Tokic stressed. The Presidency decided not to cooperate with Gelbard any longer if he continues to behave as he has and "use blackmail". The Defence Minister of the Croat-Moslem Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, Miroslav Prce, refuted Gelbard's statements regarding the reasons for cancelling the "Equip and Train" programme. Prce said the implementation of this programme, aimed at equipping and training the Bosnian Federation Army, was cancelled on April 1, long before the speeches given last week by generals Stanko Sopta, Ljubo Cesic Rojs, and the commander of the Croat segment of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Army, on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) day in Mostar. Gelbard had described the speeches as "extremely antagonistic, stupid and dangerous" toward the Bosniaks, and cannot be tolerated. Gelbard said the programme "Equip and Train" had been cancelled due to lack of cooperation between the HVO and the Army of Bosnia- Herzegovina (the two components of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina Army). Prce explained the State Department was not the one to cancel the programme, but rather it was the US company "MPRI", whose experts are residing in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He warned that this time no responsibility lies on the Croat side. It is surprising that nothing was said in public about the true culprits, he stressed. According to Prce, the American company had also failed to inform Arabian countries, who are the most important donors, of reasons for its cancelling the Equip and Train programme. (hina) lml