RIGHT TO VOTE OF CROATIAN CITIZENS IN BOSNIA IS NOT DISPUTABLE - OSCE

SARAJEVO, Nov 11 (Hina) - All Croatian citizens currently living on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina are entitled to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections for the Croatian National Parliament on locations which will be agreed on between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the spokeswoman for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission, Tanya Domi, said in Sarajevo on Thursday. Domi confirmed that the implementation of the elections on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina was one of the topics US Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery discussed this week during a visit to Sarajevo with the head of the OSCE Mission, Robert Barry. All those in possession of a document proving Croatian citizenship can vote, Domi said, adding this applied equally to the Bosnian Croats with dual citizenship and the Croatian Serb refugees currently living on the territory of the Bosnian Serb entity. Domi said that, from the point of view of the existing legislation on citizenship, the right of BH Croats to vote both in Bosnia and Croatia was not disputable although the international community did not believe this solution was in line with western democratic standards. According to Domi, the solution is not in accordance with international standards and the international community does not like it, however, it is in line with the existing legislation on citizenship in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. She confirmed that the OSCE would monitor the course of voting both in Croatia and Bosnia. The BH law on citizenship, which came into force this year, tolerates dual citizenship until the year 2002. Those BH citizens who have the citizenship of some other country will by the year 2002 also have to decide which citizenship they will give up unless Bosnia and the country in question sign an agreement confirming the right to dual citizenship. (hina) mm rml