STATEMENT BY CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

ZAGREB, Nov 10 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic issued Wednesday a statement in connection with the latest Security Council Presidential Statement concerning the events in Central Bosnia. Following is the full text of the statement: "The Government of the Republic of Croatia must express its deepest displeasure with the latest Security Council Presidential Statement concerning the events in central Bosnia. With sincere regret we must emphasize that the Security Council overlooked the fact that in the recent days fifteen thousand Bosnian Croats have been forced to leave their homes in the Vares enclave and tens of thousand more are in serious jeopardy in the Vitez enclave as a result of the ongoing offensive launched by the Bosnian Muslim armed forces. The Security Council ignored a number of pleas by the Government of the Republic Croatia to address this issue in a Security Council meeting in the past. The Security Council has for now chosen not to give a safe area status to the endangered Bosnian Croat enclaves in central Bosnia and northern Herzegovina. The Council has for now even abstained in mentioning who is imperiled in central Bosnia and who is pursuing offensive military activities there. For the Croatian Government it is very difficult to understand what may be the reason why the tragic situation of the Bosnian Croats is not a matter of interest for the Security Council. Regretfully, such an approach, which is ignoring the most crucial element of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina at this time, may be sending a wrong message to those whose actions are aimed against peace and stability and to those who are promoting war as the only way to achieve a solution." 102105 MET nov 93