SARAJEVO, May 14 (Hina) - Monday's recommendation of the EU Ministerial Council that elections in Mostar should be held on May 31 caused great surprise among Bosniac political circles. During a telephone conversation with the U.S.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher, the President of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic, asked that the exiled people of Mostar should be ensured the right to vote by absentee ballot or in embassies or consulates.
SARAJEVO, May 14 (Hina) - Monday's recommendation of the EU
Ministerial Council that elections in Mostar should be held on May
31 caused great surprise among Bosniac political circles.
During a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of
State Warren Christopher, the President of the Presidency of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic, asked that the exiled people
of Mostar should be ensured the right to vote by absentee ballot or
in embassies or consulates. #L#
Spokesman for the leading Bosniac party, the Democratic Action
Party (SDA), Ismet Grbo, told Hina that the party had expected that
EU ministers would consider their objections regarding the
electoral conditions and regulations.
"Our view is that all conditions have not been met in order to
hold elections as envisaged by the Dayton accords," Grbo said,
stressing that the basic view of the party was that preconditions
for free elections should be ensured.
The SDA believe that the ethnic structure in Bosnia-
Herzegovina should be established as it used to be on the day of
the beginning of the war.
"If conditions do not change at least a little, it is
difficult to expect us to vote," Grbo said.
Monday's decision from Brussels might have far-reaching
consequences because "it confirms that the European Union remains
indecisive and inert as it had been during the aggression on
Bosnia-Herzegovina," Grbo said.
The SDA still hope that the EU would eventually consider the
Moslems' objections "so as to ensure peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina."
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