PRESIDENCY OF HDZ OF BH HOLDS SESSION ON SITUATION IN BH, FEDERATI ON

ON MOSTAR, Mar 1 (Hina) - The Presidency of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) assessed that serious standstills in the functioning of the highest bodies of authority in the Federation of BH represented a serious threat to the General Peace Agreement on BH and the Federation Agreement in particular, a statement said on Saturday. The session, chaired by the President of the HDZ of BH, Bozo Rajic, was held in Mostar on Friday evening and was attended by the highest officials of authority of BH, the BH Federation, the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) and the Mostar Municipality. The discussion focused on issues such as a serious standstill in the functioning of the houses of the Federation Assembly and Government, the difficulties in the functioning of the executive and legislative power of the HNC, the actual situation in Mostar, and information on unauthorized representation and activity of certain bodies and persons toward the Hague Criminal Tribunal. The standstill in the work of the Federation's bodies of authority was a result of attempts at changing the quality of the signed agreements, to the damage of the Croatian national interest in BH, the statement said, adding that the Croat side was being accused and its highest officials in political and state bodies pressurized. The Presidency would, on the level of its responsibility, effectively undertake an initiative towards the partner side in the Federation, with the aim to overcome the actual situation and to unfreeze the system of authority, on the principles of an authentic application of the adopted agreements, the statement said. The Presidency of the HDZ of BH also authorized the highest officials of the Croatian people in the bodies of authority of the Federation of BH and BH to undertake the necessary steps in order to achieve an appropriate national representation within the executive bodies of authority, diplomacy in particular, the statement said. The barbaric attacks on the highest national and religious values of the Croatian people were harshly condemned, the statement further said, adding that they were aimed at creating an unfavourable security and political climate before the Pope's announced visit to Sarajevo. Any violence aimed at the violation of human dignity, the human, civic and religious rights and freedoms was also condemned, the statement said, adding that the Presidency of the HDZ of BH condemned all perpetrators of the 10 February events in Mostar, as well as those who had instigated them and those who had abused their official authority in using force. The Presidency fully supported the Croatian officials' stand in relation to the report by a special commission of the International Police Task Force (IPTF), and rejected all imputations and attempts at pressurizing the highest political and state officials of the Croatian people, in particular those which speculated with the removal of some officials from political life. The Presidency was ready to ensure the implementation of measures from the IPTF report, including the one to ascertain the responsibility on the Croat side, the statement said, adding that the Presidency ordered the Government of the HNC to continue and terminate its investigation in relation to the Mostar events of 10 February and those preceding and following them, as well as to issue the investigation results and to undertake legal measures. The Presidency welcomed the efforts and the achieved results of the Interior Ministry of the HNC in sanctioning the participants in the Mostar incidents, as well as the undertaken measures towards the perpetrators of criminal offenses, the statement further said and added that the Presidency of the HDZ of BH incited Croat officials in the bodies of authority of the HNC to continue with the work of the Canton's Assembly and Government. The statement also pointed out that the Presidency condemned and dismissed the statements of certain Bosniak politicians and the activity of the Sarajevan media directed at discrediting the Defense Minister of the Federation of BH, Lt. Gen. Ante Jelavic, and demanded of the highest Croatian officials in the BH's and the Federation's bodies of authority to protect Jelavic's integrity, including an appropriate communication with the Hague Tribunal. The Presidency of the HDZ of BH was "publicly ascertaining the illegal and illegitimate, as well as unauthorized representation of BH of one Vasvija Vidovic before the ICTY", the statement concluded. (hina) ha 011903 MET mar 97