MADRID, Dec 15 (Hina) - Croatia will speak about itself and the +concrete results it has achieved, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate +Granic said in Madrid on Tuesday ahead of a two-day Peace +Implementation Council (PIC) conference on
the Bosnian peace +process.+ "My speech will strictly refer to Croatia and what Croatia is doing, +while Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) will speak about +themselves," Granic told reporters.+ The results Croatia has achieved are the signing of a special +relations agreement with the Croat-Moslem Federation, one of BH's +two entities, the signing of an agreement with BH on transit to the +Croatian port of Ploce and through federal territory along the +Adriatic coastline, and the establishment of a Council for +Cooperation between Croatia and BH.+ Granic said Croatia's contribution to the implementation of the +peace agreement in BH also included trans
MADRID, Dec 15 (Hina) - Croatia will speak about itself and the
concrete results it has achieved, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate
Granic said in Madrid on Tuesday ahead of a two-day Peace
Implementation Council (PIC) conference on the Bosnian peace
process.
"My speech will strictly refer to Croatia and what Croatia is doing,
while Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) will speak about
themselves," Granic told reporters.
The results Croatia has achieved are the signing of a special
relations agreement with the Croat-Moslem Federation, one of BH's
two entities, the signing of an agreement with BH on transit to the
Croatian port of Ploce and through federal territory along the
Adriatic coastline, and the establishment of a Council for
Cooperation between Croatia and BH.
Granic said Croatia's contribution to the implementation of the
peace agreement in BH also included transparent assistance to
Bosnian Croats, the successful application of the government's
refugee return programme, and the results in border connections
with BH, including 12 border crossings and 11 bridges.
Croatia fully supported the enforcement of Bosnia's September
electoral results, because an expedite establishment of bodies of
authority in BH were in Croatia's interest as an "exclusively
neighbouring country, signatory to the Dayton (peace) agreement,"
said Granic.
He confirmed Croatia strongly supported the Dayton and Washington
peace agreements and a decentralised BH, country of three
constituent peoples.
Croatia was interested in the establishment of border control in
BH, said the Foreign Minister.
"It is in our interest that BH function as a law-based state, that it
collect taxes, and that its borders function on the level of all
modern European states."
With regard to the demilitarisation of BH, he said it was an
interesting concept. However, he added, given that it entailed the
demilitarisation of the wider region, a realistic expectation was a
reduced number of soldiers in BH.
"Why does BH need 33,000 professional soldiers?," inquired Granic.
He asserted BH should as soon as possible be included among
countries with the smallest military force which, he added, was
something Croatia supported.
The PIC conference is expected to close with the passing of a final
document.
(hina) ha jn