WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Hina) - The joint views of the HDZ and Bosnian Croat leaderships on the process of injecting life into the Croat- Moslem Federation have remained unchanged after Friday's meeting with US President Bill Clinton and
Vice-President Al Gore, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told reporters after the meeting.
WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Hina) - The joint views of the HDZ and Bosnian
Croat leaderships on the process of injecting life into the Croat-
Moslem Federation have remained unchanged after Friday's meeting
with US President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman told reporters after the meeting. #L#
"Everything we need to convey to Bosnian Croats has already
been decided at a joint meeting between the HDZ presidency and
Bosnian Croat leaders on Wednesday," Tudjman said.
"At that meeting, we assessed the situation and problems and
issued guidelines we see no need to change now after the meeting
with President Clinton," he said.
"Neither Susak nor Granic nor any other member of the
delegation is carrying any special messages from Washington," he
said.
Foreign Minister Mate Granic and Defence Minister Gojko Susak,
who both double as HDZ vice-presidents, are to represent HDZ
president Tudjman at a Bosnian HDZ convention in Neum on Saturday.
Both Granic and Susak attended today's meeting in Washington.
In the process of injecting life into the Federation, the
interest of the Croatian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina was to
preserve their equality, Tudjman said.
"We had signed the Washington Accords and agreed to the
Federation only under the condition that the Croat and Moslem
peoples be equal," he said.
Bosnian Croats were ready to participate in the process of
transferring authority from the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and
from Herzeg-Bosnia onto the Federation - but Herzeg-Bosnia would
remain until the Federation was fully established and the equality
of Croats guaranteed, Tudjman said. This included the establishment
of the Federal Government as well as canton and county authorities.
"In the implementation of the Dayton Agreements, there have
been attempts to blow the isolated case of Mostar out of
proportion," Tudjman said.
"Breathing life into the Federation is a priority for us, but
it must be done in a way that ensure the equality of the Croatian
people in the Federation," he concluded.
(hina) as
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