VECERNJI LIST: INTERVIEW WITH WESTERN MOSTAR MAYOR

ZAGREB, Jan 10 (Hina) - Today's VECERNJI LIST carries an interview with Eastern Mostar Mayor, Mijo Brajkovic. The main topic was the situation in Mostar after the latest incidents (the killing of a Croatian policeman on duty, following the murder of a Moslem youth). Here are some highlights: "You can't compare the two killings. Zeljko Ljubic (the policeman) was killed on duty. These incidents have a political background. The ultimate goal is to bring the EU and NATO to put pressure on the Croatian side and force it to accept Moslem proposals." "The goal is to weaken the position of the Croatian side at the negotiating table. We are quite familiar with this policy. They say one thing, do another, plan a third... They always stress the importance of doing things together, building the Federation, but one doesn't feel it so much in practice." "The Salakovac hydroelectric power plant is a case in point. According to the project offered by the European Union, the plant staff was to include 50% Moslem workers and 50% Croats, and the power was to be divided in the same way. They should have shown their community spirit then. But they rejected the project, and were afterwards criticised by the EU in Madrid." "Or take the Dayton Agreements. We signed that the town would be arranged in six municipalities - three Moslem and three Croat. We drafted the statute, the election rules and started to discuss maps. But they insisted on their excessive and over- ambitious demands, which we couldn't accept." "Our proposal was that municipality boundaries should coincide with separation lines. Of course, we said we would accept minor corrections. They refused it. But that matter will still have to be resolved at the negotiating table, in a tolerant atmosphere, taking into account the situation on the ground." "The EU policy happens to have many points in common with the Moslem policy. They both see Mostar as a multiethnic town, in the way I described. Mostar cannot be divided because it is a small town, but it ought to be arranged on different principles than it had been under Communism. We insisted on separate municipalities as a protection for both peoples, and in Dayton we got what we wanted. The problem now is the Moslems, who signed the agreement but don't want to observe it. Seemingly, it was another case of saying one thing but meaning another." (hina) as (hina) as 101255 MET jan 96