IZETBEGOVIC DISMISSES TUDJMAN'S STATEMENTS OF DECEMBER 14

SARAJEVO, Dec 17 (Hina) - The Muslim member of the Bosnian collective Presidency, Alija Izetbegovic, warned on Thursday that Bosniaks would not allow Bosnia-Herzegovina to be dominated by Croatia and announced that contentious border issues between the two countries would, if it proved necessary, be dealt with by the UN Security Council. Izetbegovic said this in a statement released by his office in Sarajevo as a response to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's speech delivered on December 14 at the opening of a veterans' military school "Ban Josip Jelacic". Izetbegovic dismissed claims that by signing the special relations agreement the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia have actually entered confederal relations. "The agreement on special relations between Croatia and BH Federation is not a confederal agreement. We will bear in mind President Tudjman's statements when we start negotiations on annexes to this agreement in order to eliminate any form of domination or tutorship over Bosnia-Herzegovina by Croatia", the statement reads. The continuation of work of the mixed commission for borders was accepted because the Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, in a letter to High Representative Carlos Westendorp of December 10, had promised that Croatian military and police forces would stay out of the area of Martin Brod, Izetbegovic said. "If this is not respected, we will consider the option of presenting the issue of Martin Brod before the UN Security Council". Izetbegovic further warned Tudjman that his comments on the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) were equally unacceptable as his remarks regarding Muslims and Serbs. Tudjman's statements are in complete opposition to the conclusions of the Madrid conference, Izetbegovic concluded. (hina) rml