HIGH REPRESENTATIVE RESERVED ABOUT NEW CROAT REPRESENTATION

SARAJEVO, Dec 1 (Hina) - The Office of the High Representative (OHR) for implementation of the Dayton Accords has welcomed the decision whereupon the Bosnian Croats would no longer be represented at the BH Parliament's House of the Peoples only by the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH). Yet, the fact that the Croat caucus will include an MP from the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) is not consistent with the demands that have been made by HR Carlos Westendorp, OHR spokesperson Alexandra Stiglmayer told Hina on Tuesday. She spoke in a comment on the election of Croat MPs to the House of Peoples which took place at a session of the BH Federation Parliament's House of Peoples. Following the annulment of an original decision that allowed the largest BH Croat party to fill the Croat quota at the Parliament, an extraordinary session of the House of the Peoples upon a request by the OHR and the OSCE mission to Bosnia delegated four HDZ MPs and one from the ranks of the HSP. The election of an HSP MP is not exactly something that the OHR had in mind. All we can say now is that we will closely monitor his moves, Stiglmayer stated. She stressed though that the status of the HSP MP Dragan Vrdoljak would be ultimately decided by Westendorp himself. The High Representative originally asked that one post be reserved for the New Croat Initiative (NHI). (hina) mm mr