ZAGREB, April 7 (Hina) - Croatia's opposition parties have expressed concern over the latest tensions in neighbouring Bosnia and the position of Bosnian Croats, slamming representatives of the international community and Croatian
authorities. The Croatian Democratic Union, the strongest opposition party, is concerned at the "discrimination" of Croats in Bosnia, and on Saturday called on international representatives to prevent the use of force in the resolving of political disputes. It also called on the Croatian government to express concern for Bosnian Croats, in line with its constitutional obligation to do so. HIP, an association promoting Croatian identity and prosperity, condemns the "repression" the international community's High Representative in Bosnia is using over Croats and their institutions, HIP board member Nenad Ivankovic said today. He believes it is incomprehensible that High
ZAGREB, April 7 (Hina) - Croatia's opposition parties have
expressed concern over the latest tensions in neighbouring Bosnia
and the position of Bosnian Croats, slamming representatives of the
international community and Croatian authorities.
The Croatian Democratic Union, the strongest opposition party, is
concerned at the "discrimination" of Croats in Bosnia, and on
Saturday called on international representatives to prevent the
use of force in the resolving of political disputes. It also called
on the Croatian government to express concern for Bosnian Croats,
in line with its constitutional obligation to do so.
HIP, an association promoting Croatian identity and prosperity,
condemns the "repression" the international community's High
Representative in Bosnia is using over Croats and their
institutions, HIP board member Nenad Ivankovic said today.
He believes it is incomprehensible that High Representative
Wolfgang Petritsch would send armoured vehicles against one bank,
contrary to the law and the Dayton peace accords.
Petritsch accused Hercegovacka Bank of serving to finance Bosnian
Croat self-rule, and decided to establish transitional
administration in the Mostar-based bank.
Based on the decision, strong units of NATO's peace-keeping
Stabilisation Force, the International Police Task Force, and
masked staff of the Croat-Muslim federation's government on Friday
morning broke into ten of the bank's local branches in the
federation, seizing extensive documentation from the bank's
headquarters in Mostar and several other local branches.
This led the HIP to call on the international community to halt the
spiralling violence in Bosnia, and sit down for negotiations with
the legitimate representatives of the Bosnian Croat people, those
who received majority support at the last election.
The association believes Croatia's incumbent authorities have
contributed to the adverse turn of events with their "irresponsible
and cowardly policy of giving up on Croats in Bosnia," Ivankovic
told reporters today. He said the government had thus broken
constitutional obligations and brought into question the strategic
and security interests in the country, contributing to a dangerous
destabilisation of Bosnia.
The president of the opposition's Croatian Party of Rights, Anto
Djapic, also slammed the conduct of the international community,
describing the establishment of transitional administration in
Hercegovacka Bank as an "attack on private property."
(hina) ha sb