MOSTAR, 1 July (Hina) - The Croat and Bosniac police officials from Mostar failed to reach an agreement on the organisation of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton interior ministry, at a meeting held in Mostar Tuesday. The four-hour
meeting, held behind closed doors, was broken up at the request of the Federation Interior Minister Mehmed Zilic and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Deputy Interior Minister, Sefkija Dziho, said Canton Interior Minister Valentin Coric.
ICE
MOSTAR, 1 July (Hina) - The Croat and Bosniac police officials from
Mostar failed to reach an agreement on the organisation of the
Herzegovina-Neretva Canton interior ministry, at a meeting held in
Mostar Tuesday.
The four-hour meeting, held behind closed doors, was broken up at
the request of the Federation Interior Minister Mehmed Zilic and
Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Deputy Interior Minister, Sefkija Dziho, said
Canton Interior Minister Valentin Coric. #L#
The meeting was also attended by International Police Task Force
(IPTF) representative Manfred Seitner, U.N. Secretary General advisor on
Bosnia-Herzegovina Kai Aide, the head of the Mostar regional office of
the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Martin Garrod, and an
official with the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.
Canton Interior Minister Coric said that the Croat side proposed
that the starting position in determining the ethnic composition of
police forces in municipalities be the current ethnic structure in those
municipalities. In case of the return of refugees the ethnic composition
of police forces would be changed, Coric said.
However, the Bosniac side demanded that the ethnic composition of
police forces be in line with the 1991 census, Coric said.
The Bosniac side proposed that the share of Serb population in the
canton not be taken into account in the organisation of the interior
ministry personnel, which the Croat side opposed, Coric said.
The two sides also failed to agree on the location of the interior
ministry. The Bosniacs demanded that the ministry be located in three
buildings, one in the western, the other in the eastern part of the city
and the third in the central city zone. The Bosniac request was contrary
to the decision of the cantonal government and assembly saying that the
interior ministry headquarters should be located in the central city
zone only, said Coric.
Federation Interior Minister Zilic asked 'the IPTF representative
in Bosnia-Herzegovina to introduce state of emergency as of 6 July this
year, as well as to disband all police units', Coric said, adding that
Zilic asked the Stabilisation Fore (SFOR) to take over responsibility
for security and that Bosnia-Herzegovina finally take control over its
borders.
The Croat side was willing to continue the talks so that a final
solution could be found, Coric said, adding that the talks should be
continued 'on other levels as well'
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