SARAJEVO, March 7 (Hina) - The superintendent of the Kiseljak-based Police, Mladen Tolo, on Thursday sent a letter to the international High Representative in Sarajevo Carl Bildt, protesting against yesterday's incident in the
Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici, when 20 Croat policemen had been prevented in joining the Croat-Muslim patrols which were to police the Sarajevo suburbs reintegrated back into the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The latest events called into question the attitude of the Bosniac side, but also that of some international officials, towards legal and legitimate representatives of the Bosnian Croats, Tolo said.
SARAJEVO, March 7 (Hina) - The superintendent of the Kiseljak-based
Police, Mladen Tolo, on Thursday sent a letter to the international
High Representative in Sarajevo Carl Bildt, protesting against
yesterday's incident in the Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici, when 20
Croat policemen had been prevented in joining the Croat-Muslim
patrols which were to police the Sarajevo suburbs reintegrated back
into the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The latest events called
into question the attitude of the Bosniac side, but also that of
some international officials, towards legal and legitimate
representatives of the Bosnian Croats, Tolo said. #L#
According to the Internal Affairs Law of the Federation of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the federal police forces were composed of
Croat and Bosniac police forces. The interior minister and his
deputy should be fully equal in making decisions on all questions
relating to the work of the federal ministry. However, situation on
the ground was completely different since the functioning of the
federal Interior Ministry was now determined exclusively by the
Bosniac side and Minister Hebib, Tolo said.
Since the arrival of the Federal police in the suburb of
Vogosca, the Croat representatives had protested against the way
members of the federal police, especially its Croat members, had
been chosen, Tolo said. The Croat side had asked from its federal
partner that the problem be solved in a democratic way. Talks had
been held with the deputy of the High Representative, Michael
Steiner as well as with high officials of the international police
force.
The international officials had expressed their understanding
for the stance of the Croat side, but nothing had changed on the
ground, Tolo said. The commissioner of the international police,
Peter Fitzgerald, had not even answered to a request to talk with
Croat representatives.
Tolo strongly protested against a statement by commissioner
Fitzgerald, who said that the presence of Croat police in Hadzici
was illegal. Commissioner Fitzgerald had forgotten that the full
equality of the federal partners had been guaranteed both by the
Dayton agreement and the Federation's Constitution, Tolo said.
Tolo invited High Representative Bildt to visit Kiseljak, so
that he could be fully informed about the current problems.
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