SPECIAL RELATIONS AGREEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION - FEDERAL PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT SARAJEVO, Oct 28 (Hina) - The President of the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) on Wednesday initialled a special relations agreement between Croatia and the Federation. The agreement, reached by Croatian and BH negotiating teams in Zagreb on Tuesday, is a "significant step in the realisation of a legal framework for the establishment of special parallel relations between the Federation of BH and the Republic of Croatia," Federation President Ejup Ganic told reporters in Sarajevo. "It is an important step in the implementation of the peace agreement for BH," he added, pointing out the agreement will come into effect after the Federation's government and parliament state their opinions. The results of the Zagreb agreement bind both sides to define in the forthcoming period various aspects of cooperation through annexes, Ganic said. He expressed hope that all who had won the voters' confidence at last month's general elections in BH would make a significant contribution to the development of relations between the Federation and Croatia. According to Kasim Trnka, who headed the federal negotiating team in Zagreb, the special relations agreement acknowledges the interests of both sides. "Earlier support was a solid basis for this agreement. I hope we will spread the spirit of cooperation and good will to the forthcoming annexes as well," he told reporters. The agreement wholly acknowledges the regulations of the Dayton peace agreement which sanction special relations between BH's entities and neighbouring countries. BH Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic assessed the Zagreb agreement as a significant step in the enforcement of the BH Constitution. "It will be possible to perceive the real meaning of the special relations agreement when talks are completed on the numerous annexes which are to follow and will define cooperation in some 15 areas," said Prlic. He assessed federal and Croatian government discussions on these points were a priority issue necessary to define concrete aspects of cooperation of interests to citizens of both Croatia and BH. "By this a genuine foundation has also been laid for cooperation with Croatia in relation to the fate of Croats in BH," said Prlic. The deputy international high representative for BH, Jacques Klein, described the special relations agreement as another historic step which the document, together with an agreement on BH's use of Croatian port of Ploce, was making towards stability in the whole region. Klein said he was impressed with the seriousness the two sides had shown during negotiations. The Ploce agreement will enable BH to have economic access to the Adriatic Sea, while the special relations agreement will convince Croats in BH that it is necessary for them to stay in BH, said Klein. He pointed out that Croatia needs BH as a stable state, and that the two countries must cooperate wholly and enter Europe together. The United States mediator in the negotiations, Richard Sclar, said the leaderships of BH and Croatia were aware of how much the two countries were connected and dependant economically. No country or its entity can survive without the other, he said, adding the markets in the two countries were small and mutually dependant. With the special relations and Ploce agreements the U.S. wants people in Croatia and BH to leave political and ethnic differences behind, Sclar said. The U.S. diplomat resolutely stated that the two agreements had not created a situation in which one side was gaining, and another losing. In a separate statement to Hina, Sclar explained the annexes which should define concrete aspects of cooperation had not been defined yet, as they called for an expert agreement. Details must be worked out by various ministries as with any other agreement, he said. Sclar believed U.S. mediation would not be necessary in negotiations on the annexes. The matter will be mediated by the office of the international representative. As long as there is good will there will be no problems, he said, adding problems appear when there is no more trust. We do not expect this to happen, Sclar said. (hina) ha