MOSTAR, Jan 23(Hina) - The top Croat officials in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday strongly condemned the arrest of three former Croat officials, including Ante Jelavic, an ex-president of the Croatian Democratic Union of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), and a former member of the country's collective presidency.
MOSTAR, Jan 23(Hina) - The top Croat officials in Bosnia-Herzegovina on
Friday strongly condemned the arrest of three former Croat officials,
including Ante Jelavic, an ex-president of the Croatian Democratic
Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), and a former member of the
country's collective presidency.#L#
The current chairman of Bosnia's three-man presidency, Dragan Covic,
the vice-chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers and Security
Minister Barisa Colak, and the president of the Croat-Muslim entity,
namely the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Niko Lozancic, issued a
joint statement saying that Friday morning's arrest operation was an
act of destabilising the country and a blow to Bosnian Croats.
Early Friday morning, Jelavic was arrested in his house in Mostar.
Besides him, the Bosnian federation's former defence minister,
Miroslav Prce, and a former director of the Hercegovina Osiguranje
insurance company, Miroslav Rupcic, were also arrested, in compliance
with an order of the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina on suspicion that
they were involved in financial wrongdoing in relation with operations
of the Herzegovacka Banka. They were arrested by by the Bosnian
Federation police, supported by NATO-led peace-keepers (SFOR),
"Committing ourselves to the construction, strengthening and full
functioning of the rule of law ...we most strongly condemn the model
in which institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina were evidently abused
during the apprehension of Messrs Ante Jelavic, Miroslav Price and
Miroslav Rupcic," said the statement issued by Covic, Colak and
Lozancic.
According to the statement, the arrest was carried out without
respect for legal procedure and with an inappropriate and unnecessary
demonstration of force. This operation is for the said office-holders
"a clear message and warning to the Croat people in Mostar,
Herzegovina ... that the establishment of the rule of law, the
strengthening of democratic institutions and the set-up of a more fair
and cost-effective state, which would fit all its three constituent
peoples and all its citizens, is not desirable and will be prevented
also in this way," the statement read.
Covic, Colak and Lozancic called on the Croat people to show patience,
dignity and peace, despite the fact, they said, that Friday morning's
operation was an attempt to provoke Croats to make imprudent moves.
The branch of the HDZ BiH in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton has also
deplored the apprehension of former HDZ BiH president Jelavic,
describing Friday morning's operation, carried out by the Bosnian
Federation police and the NATO-led peace-keepers as "inappropriate and
unnecessary".
The party's local branch issued a press release on Friday saying that
Jelavic has been living in the southern city of Mostar for years and
that he has always been available to all who wanted to contact him.
The HDZ branch also criticises the federal Interior Ministry and the
Stabilisation Force (SFOR) for failing to notify the cantonal interior
ministry of plans for the arrest of Jelavic, since under the law this
should have been done.
"This proves that the Federal Interior Ministry and the Ministry's
Police Administration are in the function of carrying out
politically-motivated goals, which brings into question their
independence and professionalism," the press release said.
The HDZ branch believes that Friday morning's operation was part of "a
well-planned policy aimed at raising tensions in Mostar which is in a
sensitive period awaiting for a final agreement on its
reorganisation".
(Hina) ms sb