IZETBEGOVIC DOES NOT BELIEVE IN DETERIORATION OF RELATIONS WITH CRO

SARAJEVO, Sept 2 (Hina) - A member of the three-man Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic, said he did not expect a deterioration of relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina after certain claims made by the co-chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, Haris Silajdzic, and reactions of the Croatian Government. Sarajevo's daily "Dnevni avaz" on Thursday ran Izetbegovic's comment on the decision of Zagreb authorities to sever all contacts with Silajdzic. "The problem is not what Silajdzic or any of us said. The problem is what the facts say, and the facts incriminate some people of the Croatian authority for being involved in the war in Bosnia- Herzegovina," Izetbegovic said. He added it was up to Bosnia-Herzegovina to state these facts, "which had been done a long time ago", and it is up to others to establish who is responsible. There would be no further deterioration of relations because it is not in the interest of neither Croatia nor Bosnia-Herzegovina. State interests shroud be crucial for solving the issue, not personal interests, Izetbegovic said. Speaking about a "The New York Times" article on corruption in Bosnia, Izetbegovic said he found Chris Hedges's article to be like a "political assassination" which he managed to survive, but was still "injured". He added that the published claims were backed by some circles in America which are opponents to the Clinton administration and whose goal is to indicate that the "Bosnian project" drawn up and implemented by the US is in fact a failure. (hina) lml