ZAGREB, 16 March (Hina) - In last night's Croatian Television late news broadcast 'Motrista', the Mostar Aluminium Plant's managing director Mijo Brajkovic commented on a statement issued yesterday by the Regional Office South of the
High International Representative, according to which the head of the Regional Office, Martin Garrod, and the head of the Regional Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Mostar, Edward Joseph, had left yesterday's ceremony at which the plant was opened because of Brajkovic's speech in which 'he offended the European Union and in particular former EU administrator Hans Koschnik'.
ZAGREB, 16 March (Hina) - In last night's Croatian Television late
news broadcast 'Motrista', the Mostar Aluminium Plant's managing
director Mijo Brajkovic commented on a statement issued yesterday
by the Regional Office South of the High International
Representative, according to which the head of the Regional Office,
Martin Garrod, and the head of the Regional Office of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in
Mostar, Edward Joseph, had left yesterday's ceremony at which the
plant was opened because of Brajkovic's speech in which 'he
offended the European Union and in particular former EU
administrator Hans Koschnik'. #L#
According to Brajkovic, he stated that 'the European Union
failed to recognize the need to invest into the Aluminium Plant'.
Had it done so, the plant would have started to function
earlier, Mostar residents would have started to live better and it
would have been easier to implement political measures as well,
Brajkovic said.
'I think that the problem of the city of Mostar would have
been tackled much earlier', Brajkovic said.
Brajkovic said he had nothing to comment on, adding that he
regretted the fact that the two officials had left the ceremony.
'The democratic right of every man is to express his opinion.
There was no offense of any kind, of any individual, it was only
stated that Koschnik was a European Union representative and that
he did not invest the money where he should have invested it. It is
my opinion and I have the right to express it', Brajkovic said.
Asked whether Bosniac representatives had been invited to the
ceremony and why they had not responded to the invitation,
Brajkovic said that the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina and
certain Federation officials had been invited.
He added that the ceremony was adorned by both Federation
symbols and those of the Bosnian Croat people.
'They are the ones that should be asked why they did not
appear at the event. As for our side, we have done our moral,
civic, political and economic duty', Brajkovic said.
(hina) rm
161101 MET mar 97