OHR OFFICIAL EXPLAINS WESTENDORP'S DECISION ON BILINGUAL SEAL

MOSTAR, July 14 (Hina) - The head of the Mostar Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Richard Ellerkmann, on Wednesday dismissed accusations saying that last week's decision by High Representative Carlos Westendorp on the obligatory use of a single bilingual seal in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton was violating the right of the Croat people to its own language. Ellerkmann regretted that the decision caused the head of the canton government, Frano Ljubic, to offer his resignation, and described his act as exaggerated. According to Ellerkmann, the law on the canton seal was adopted two years ago and was signed by the then president of the Canton Assembly, Ivan Bender. The law, which was never completely implemented, envisaged that the canton seal should be bilingual. Ellekmann said both the Croat and Bosniak languages were equal according to the Federation Constitution. The language equality reflected in the fact that both languages are on the seal, he added. Ellerkmann also dismissed claims of the Croat side that Westendorp's decision on establishing a public prosecutor's office in the central town district was actually the introduction of the seventh municipality. According to him, Westendorp's decision was based on Mostar's Transitional Statute, which describes the district in question as a legal entity of special nature. Westendorp's decision is not introducing a separate, seventh municipality, but is revising a previous decision on the establishment of six municipal courts in Mostar. Instead of that, one municipal court will be established in western and eastern parts on the town each, as well as one court in the central district, Ellerkmann said. (hina) rml