NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Hina) - Talks between Croatian and Yugoslav delegations about solving the security issue of the southernmost Croatian peninsula Prevlaka have not resumed yet because Belgrade will not give up its unacceptable
territorial pretensions to this part of Croatia's territory and shows no political will to solve the issue, permanent Croatian representative at the UN, Ambassador Ivan Simonovic, said in a letter forwarded to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Tuesday.
NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Hina) - Talks between Croatian and Yugoslav
delegations about solving the security issue of the southernmost
Croatian peninsula Prevlaka have not resumed yet because Belgrade
will not give up its unacceptable territorial pretensions to this
part of Croatia's territory and shows no political will to solve the
issue, permanent Croatian representative at the UN, Ambassador
Ivan Simonovic, said in a letter forwarded to UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan Tuesday. #L#
Simonovic recalled in the letter that during the last round of talks
in Belgrade more than seven months ago, the Croatian side had
submitted documents from 1992 with the signatures of the then
Yugoslav premier Milan Panic and the Yugoslav army chief-of-staff
which show that the state and military authorities in Yugoslavia
accepted Croatia's internationally recognised borders.
Talks between the two countries' delegations should have been
resumed in Zagreb in September with the Yugoslav side previously
having researched and confirmed the authenticity of the submitted
documents.
Simonovic stressed Belgrade had not yet provided any information
concerning the issue, and besides, he warned about the possibility
of the "legitimacy of the Yugoslav delegation" since Belgrade
excluded Montenegro representatives from talks.
Head of the Yugoslav delegation, Rodoljub Etinski, refused an
invitation for a meeting in Zagreb in mid-July due to "NATO's
aggression on FR Yugoslavia".
Yugoslav's charge d'affaires in New York Vladislav Jovanovic was
not bothered by this fact when he wrote to the UN Security Council
that Croatia had not forwarded an invitation for the continuation
of talks formally, Simonovic said.
Taking into consideration all the circumstances, Simonovic in the
letter reiterated the stance of the Croatian Government that the
presence of UN military observers on Prevlaka had no point or
reason.
This mission has been present in Prevlaka since the withdrawal of
the former Yugoslav People's Army in 1992.
The UN is extending its mandate every six months in expectation of
an agreement between Croatia and Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia is justifying its territorial pretensions with security
reasons.
Croatia, which will by no means accepts changes in borders, does not
view this as a territorial but a security issue, and suggests that
security in the area be guaranteed by its permanent
demilitarisation, the letter said.
(hina) lml jn