ZAGREB, Feb 10 (Hina) - The way to solve the crisis in Mostar, for the Muslim as well as for the Croat side, was to accept Hans Koschnik's arbitration, Bosnian Ambassador in the United Nations, Muhamed Sacirbey, told a press
conference at Zagreb airport today.
ZAGREB, Feb 10 (Hina) - The way to solve the crisis in Mostar, for
the Muslim as well as for the Croat side, was to accept Hans
Koschnik's arbitration, Bosnian Ambassador in the United Nations,
Muhamed Sacirbey, told a press conference at Zagreb airport today.
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The solution was to stick to what had been agreed upon,
Sacirbey said, stressing that he was speaking neither on the behalf
of his government nor on the behalf of the Muslim people.
The Muslims said 'Mr Koschnik, it is up to you to decide and
we will respect whatever you decide', Sacirbey said. The agreement
had been reached at the recent meeting in Mostar which was attended
by German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, Croatian Foreign Minister
Mate Granic, Sacirbey himself (as Bosnia's Foreign Minister), the
President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Kresimir Zubak,
the Federation's Vice President Ejup Ganic and both Mostar Mayors -
Mijo Brajkovic and Safet Orucevic.
'If we really believe in the future of relations between
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the future of the Federation
in Mostar then this is the last chance', Sacirbey said in a very
emotional manner.
He added he was insulted by such an attitude of the Croat
people and Croatia, adding they still had time to think the whole
problem over.
Implementation of Koschnik's plan for Mostar was a test for
the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sacirbey said, adding that
'there can be no Federation without Mostar, and without the
Federation there can be neither Dayton nor peace'.
The refusal to accept Koschnik's plan and the Croat behaviour
in Mostar was actually the refusal to accept the co-existence of
Croats and Muslims. Good relations between Croats and Muslims and
the establishment of the Federation was in the interest of good
relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Bosnian
Ambassador said, expressing surprise at the fact that the refusal
of Koschnik's plan by the Mostar Croats had found approval of
Zagreb authorities.
Commenting on a statement by the Federation's President
Kresimir Zubak that Koschnik's proposal was unconstitutional,
Sacirbey said he would not analyze the Federation's Constitution in
that way. He warned that the present attitude of Croats and Croatia
represented a 'serious blow' to Croatia's, but also Bosnia's
chances to enter the European Union.
Bosnian Ambassador to Croatia, Kasim Trnka, who attended the
press conference, said that the Muslim side would support the
solution for Mostar which the United States and European Union
supported.
On a journalist's remark that the central district in
Koschnik's plan had not been provided for in the Dayton agreement,
Trnka said that the Dayton agreement provided for the arbitration
of a EU representative, in this case, Hans Koschnik.
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