HDZ IN SARAJEVO DISSAPROVES OF DECISION TO ORGANIZE SARAJEVO AS CA

CA $ NTON SARAJEVO, March 12 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Municipal Council in Sarajevo on Tuesday published a protest because the Sarajevo City Assembly established the Transitional Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton at its yesterday's session, without the consent of HDZ councilors. Members of the (Moslem) Democratic Action Party (SDA), with the support of some opposition parties, yesterday established the Sarajevo Canton despite disagreement from HDZ members and warning from Mayor Tarik Kupusovic that the decision could not be reached without the consent of the Bosnian Croat Assembly members. The Sarajevan HDZ requested that the Constitutional Assembly of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina convenes immediately with a one-item agenda - the organization of Sarajevo as the capital of the Federation, the letter of protest said. The HDZ called on Croat representatives in the Federation to immediately stop the implementation of the civilian part of the Dayton peace accords and to go before the Bosnian Federation Constitutional Court in an attempt to revoke the decision. The letter of protest further said that the SDA, by unconstitutionally setting up Sarajevo as a unilateral canton, had confirmed its hidden goal - "the establishment of a unitary state, a country of one people and one party". "Yesterday's establishment of the Transitional Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton is a completely illegal and illegitimate act by a group of Moslem extremists from the city branch of the Democratic Action Party," deputy chairman of the City Assembly, Anto Zelic, told HINA on Tuesday. The cantonal transitional assembly had been set up by 37 members of the City Assembly among whom there was only one Bosnian Croat and one Bosnian Serb, the rest were Moslems, Zelic said. The Cantonal Constitution, which had been agreed on at yesterday's session, did not envisage the protection of rights for Croats and Serbs in Sarajevo, Zelic said. Kupusovic warned after yesterday's session that he could not accept such a canton neither as mayor, nor as a citizen of Sarajevo. He added that he had adjourned yesterday's session when he realized that conditions for the establishment of a canton had not been met. Kupusovic said he had acted under the directions of President Izetbegovic, who had asked that "an agreement be reached with Bosnian Croats and others who recognize the Bosnian Federation and Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of their future". The Bosnian Federation Constitutional Assembly should make a final decision on the matter because the setting up of the canton remained unconstitutional without an amendment, Kupusovic said. Through establishment of the Transitional Assembly, the structure of Sarajevo had been organized under the Constitution, the Dayton peace accords and basic agreements reached by members of the HDZ and the SDA, said the Cantonal president, Sabira Hadjovic. (hina) lm mm 121853 MET mar 96