BOSNIAN PRESS: CRO DECISION ON SILAJDZIC WILL DAMAGE BOTH CRO & BH

SARAJEVO, Sept 1 (Hina) - The Croatian government's Tuesday decision to sever all contacts with current Bosnian Council of Ministers chairman Haris Silajdzic in the wake of his claims on the responsibility of Croatian state leadership for the war in Bosnia was the top news item of Sarajevo's daily press on Wednesday. "Oslobodjenje" carried only one comment in Silajdzic's favour, that of the Association on Inmates of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is under the influence of Muslim political structures. The association points out in a statement that it has gathered "numerous and irrefutable pieces of evidence which corroborate Haris Silajdzic's statement." The association further says it will use this evidence to forward to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague an indictment initiative against Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic said that, despite tense relations between Silajdzic and Zagreb, there was no question that diplomatic relations between the two countries could be jeopardised. According to news agency BH PRESS, Prlic said Croatian-Bosnian relations have been on the ascendant in recent years, with some 30 signed agreements. "What occurs in these relations, and concerns certain officials' statements relative to what happened in the past, is part of the ongoing political battle. I believe that both in BH and in Croatia, the forces which advocate the development of constructive cooperation, and not going back, are much stronger," Prlic said. "Dnevni Avaz", which is close to ruling structures in the Bosnian capital, did not quote the Croatian government statement at all. Only the headline, "Silajdzic Unwanted in Croatia", indicates that some sort of decision has been made. The daily carries numerous reactions, including Silajdzic's. "So, persona non grata (...) My comment is known. I join all whom this policy has made homeless and unwelcome in their homes," Silajdzic was quoted in "Dnevni Avaz". The daily's commentator suggests to the readers that the Croatian government's act has actually severed relations with the entire Bosnian Council of Ministers. The commentator says this is the result of increased nervousness within the ruling Croatian party, the Croatian Democratic Union, in the wake of the poor economic situation in Croatia, the decreased popularity of the ruling structures, and conflicts with The Hague tribunal. According to Adnan Jahic, spokesman for the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Silajdzic's coalition partner, no government "should run from facts which are universally known and universally accepted." "I don't think that's a step leading to better and improved relations between BH and Croatia," Jahic told "Dnevni Avaz". He added he believes the break in Croatian authorities' cooperation with Silajdzic will shake relations in the region, and that Croatia will be the one to suffer the most on the foreign policy level. Rasim Kadic, the president of Bosnia's Liberal party, which is also part of the coalition led by the SDA, wondered why the opposition in Croatia has not reacted differently. "Nothing was as good for Croatia's opposition as Silajdzic's statement (...) This is a challenge for them and I am already slightly disappointed that they haven't used it," Kadic said. The president of Bosnia's Social Democratic Party, Zlatko Lagumdzija, sees the Zagreb-Silajdzic case as a logical course of events in the two countries. "It is clear that current leaderships in Croatia and BH cannot lead to normal, and certainly not to special inter-state relations. They have become nervous because they know their time is running out," Lagumdzija said. In the long run, he believes it is unimportant whether or not Silajdzic will go to Zagreb. Both countries will suffer, he said. (hina) ha