SARAJEVO, March 10 (Hina) - Mehmed Zilic, Interior Minister of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Croat-Moslem entity) on Saturday claimed that there were indications that some Croat police officers in Herzegovina
(south-western part of the Federation and the stronghold of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina) could leave the federal interior ministry and try to establish separate police within the recently-proclaimed Croat self-rule in the Croat-populated Bosnian areas. "According to our assessments, the situation in some parts of the federation can become aggravated following the decisions of the Croat National Assembly (on the self-rule) and some police troops could leave (the federal ministry) and join the structures of the Croat self-rule," Zilic told a news conference in Sarajevo. He called on Croat police members not to let be manipulated as in that case they
SARAJEVO, March 10 (Hina) - Mehmed Zilic, Interior Minister of the
Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Croat-Moslem entity) on
Saturday claimed that there were indications that some Croat police
officers in Herzegovina (south-western part of the Federation and
the stronghold of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-
Herzegovina) could leave the federal interior ministry and try to
establish separate police within the recently-proclaimed Croat
self-rule in the Croat-populated Bosnian areas.
"According to our assessments, the situation in some parts of the
federation can become aggravated following the decisions of the
Croat National Assembly (on the self-rule) and some police troops
could leave (the federal ministry) and join the structures of the
Croat self-rule," Zilic told a news conference in Sarajevo.
He called on Croat police members not to let be manipulated as in
that case they would lose jobs permanently and no political party
could offer re-employment to them.
According to Zilic, such developments can be expected after two
days ago some Croat employees with the Federal Interior Ministry
left their offices in Sarajevo and moved into Mostar.
Zilic added that the police had the names of those persons but he
declined to tell reporters who they were.
He said police departments in all parts of the federation, except in
Herzegovina, carried out their regular tasks and there had been no
problems so far either in central Bosnian areas mainly populated by
Croats.
He described the situation in the ministry's anti-terrorist unit as
completely normal. This crack division consists of 123 highly-
trained police officers and one third of them are Croats.
Minister Zilic assessed that peace, order and security on Bosnia's
territory would in no way be brought into question, as the country
had the sufficient number of trained police people, supported by
international forces - NATO-led SFOR and IPTF (International
Police Task Force).
Zilic, who is soon leaving the ministerial post, expressed
satisfaction with the fact that the Sarajevo cantonal prosecutor's
office accepted the evidence the police collected about the 1999
assassination of the federal deputy interior minister Jozo Leutar
and yesterday issued an indictment on the grounds of that evidence
against Ivan Andabak and another five suspects.
He hopes that Ivan Andabak, who is currently being tried in Croatia
on the drug trafficking charges, will be extradited to Bosnia, as
his Bosnian citizenship has also been proved.
(hina) ms