MOSTAR, March 16 (Hina) - US Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Thomas Miller called on all political leaders, including those from the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who said Croat self-rule would start functioning as
of Saturday, to join in the efforts to draw up a new electoral law and help resolve the current crisis in the country. Miller, who today visited Mostar, urged the country's political leadership to make the electoral law its priority in order to protect the interests of all three peoples, including Croats. He called on elected Croat representatives, including those from the HDZ, to represent the interests of those who elected them by participating in this process. Mostar mayor Neven Tomic, a more liberal HDZ official, today handed Miller a letter conveying the concern of the Croat people over election rules and an electoral bill. Miller said he accepted
MOSTAR, March 16 (Hina) - US Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina
Thomas Miller called on all political leaders, including those from
the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who said
Croat self-rule would start functioning as of Saturday, to join in
the efforts to draw up a new electoral law and help resolve the
current crisis in the country.
Miller, who today visited Mostar, urged the country's political
leadership to make the electoral law its priority in order to
protect the interests of all three peoples, including Croats. He
called on elected Croat representatives, including those from the
HDZ, to represent the interests of those who elected them by
participating in this process.
Mostar mayor Neven Tomic, a more liberal HDZ official, today handed
Miller a letter conveying the concern of the Croat people over
election rules and an electoral bill.
Miller said he accepted their concern as real. He was restrained in
his comments on possible measures the US government could take as
regards the establishment of Bosnian Croat self-rule, adding he did
not want to speculate on sanctions as they were an issue decided not
only by the international community but also by the local
government.
The US government wants to help Bosnian Croats but those linked with
the Croat National Assembly which proclaimed Croat self-rule
should not expect financial assistance, said Miller.
The US Office for Loans in Mostar will continue operating, Miller
said, dismissing the cantonisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (a plan
proposed by the president of Croatia's Social Liberal Party, Drazen
Budisa). Bosnia-Herzegovina has been established as a single
state, with two entities and three peoples and Mr. Budisa's plan is
outside of that, he added.
The US ambassador dismissed some newspaper headlines in the Bosnian
press saying US diplomat Richard Holbrooke had guaranteed amnesty
for war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic if he left the political
scene.
That is completely absurd, the US ambassador said, adding
Karadzic's arrest was one of the main priorities of the US
government.
(hina) rml