SARAJEVO, April 5 (Hina) - Authorities in Bosnia's Croat-Muslim federation have set up a special coordinating body to supervise security and react to possible incidents and problems caused by the current policy of the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Sarajevo-based media said on Thursday. This has also been confirmed by representatives of international organisations active in Bosnia. "Such a body exists. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) is not directly participating in its work, but the international community fully supports the measures being taken by federal authorities," OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic told the press. According to the Dnevni Avaz newspaper, the newly-established body comprises seven members, among whom are senior federal officials, for instance the ministers of defence, the interior, justice, and finance. The daily further says the body has been in non-stop session, and that "some sort of
SARAJEVO, April 5 (Hina) - Authorities in Bosnia's Croat-Muslim
federation have set up a special coordinating body to supervise
security and react to possible incidents and problems caused by the
current policy of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party,
Sarajevo-based media said on Thursday.
This has also been confirmed by representatives of international
organisations active in Bosnia.
"Such a body exists. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) is
not directly participating in its work, but the international
community fully supports the measures being taken by federal
authorities," OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic told the press.
According to the Dnevni Avaz newspaper, the newly-established body
comprises seven members, among whom are senior federal officials,
for instance the ministers of defence, the interior, justice, and
finance. The daily further says the body has been in non-stop
session, and that "some sort of undeclared state of emergency" is in
force in the federation, one of Bosnia's two entities.
The existence of the "crisis coordinating body" has also been
confirmed by the United Nations Mission spokesman in Bosnia,
Douglas Coffman. He told reporters in Sarajevo such a body,
unfortunately, had been imperative at the present moment. He added
the UN Mission was considering taking measures against police
officers in the federation's Herzegovina-Neretva Canton who
expressed disobedience to the federal interior ministry.
Coffman said a final decision could ensue in the next couple of
days. He also added nobody had been impressed by the Herzegovina-
Neretva Canton's interior minister, Dragan Mandic, who said that
more than 900 police had joined cantonal officials in a statement
supporting the Croat National Congress (HNS), which proclaimed
Bosnian Croat self-rule six weeks ago.
Coffman said the UN believed many had done it under pressure and
doubted that any Bosniak or Serb policeman would support a HDZ-
backed policy.
The United States Ambassador to Bosnia, Thomas Miller, announced
the possibility of more radical measures against the key people
behind HNS activities. He was quoted in Jutarnje novine of Thursday
as saying that he would not sleep peacefully if he were Ante
Jelavic, the HNS mastermind and president of the HDZ.
Miller thinks Jelavic and some of his associates have done certain
things which require considering the issuing of indictments
against them.
The general situation in Bosnia in the wake of HDZ's activities is
very dangerous, the ambassador said, but said he was confident the
party's leadership would fail in their intent.
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