HDZ OFFICIALS ADDRESS PARTY SESSION IN NEUM

NEUM, July 17 (Hina) - Speaking at Saturday's session of the National Committee of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia- Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) in Neum (southern Bosnia-Herzegovina), an envoy for the Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Ivic Pasalic, expressed dissatisfaction with the slow process of adoption of annexes to an agreement on special relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Pasalic also advocated speedier adoption of a trade agreement between the two countries. He warned that any departure from the Washington and Dayton agreements would be a source of instability and crisis, and urged leaders of the HDZ BiH to strengthen authority structures in municipalities and cantons. Croatia will continue financing the Croat component of the Federation Army, but its financing will be reduced, he announced. Miroslav Prce, Defence Minister of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, described the idea on the establishment of a single army in the country as a 'utopia'. BH Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic believes that Bosnia- Herzegovina is becoming a "subject in the international politics". He expects the country to have "autonomous trade quotas toward the European Union" by mid-August 1999, which would speed up its economic development. Prlic also expects the country would become a member of the World Trade Organisation in November 1999. Federation President Ivo Andric Luzanski supported the abolishment of all parallel structures of authority of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and unitary structures on the state level. The head of the BH Presidency Office, Stjepan Mikic, warned that there was a threat Bosnian Croats might become a minority and called for more solidarity with the displaced. (hina) rml