SPLIT SPLIT, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Croatian president's most important task will be to preserve the hardly won sovereignty and lead a clever foreign policy which will break the isolation which resulted from past diplomacy, independent
presidential candidate Zvonimir Separovic told reporters in Split on Sunday. Neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) must be given primacy in foreign affairs, while relations with Belgrade must be cautious, Separovic said. He pointed out Croatia must not abandon its war damages suit against Yugoslavia at The Hague war crimes tribunal for damage done during the Serb aggression a decade ago. BH is an integral state which in foreign affairs has to be approached as such, he said, but reminded it is also necessary to energetically defend the rights of Bosnian Croats, who he said must be constructive in order to preserve their roots on Bosnian territory. Separovic said Croatia should
SPLIT, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Croatian president's most important task
will be to preserve the hardly won sovereignty and lead a clever
foreign policy which will break the isolation which resulted from
past diplomacy, independent presidential candidate Zvonimir
Separovic told reporters in Split on Sunday.
Neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) must be given primacy in
foreign affairs, while relations with Belgrade must be cautious,
Separovic said. He pointed out Croatia must not abandon its war
damages suit against Yugoslavia at The Hague war crimes tribunal
for damage done during the Serb aggression a decade ago.
BH is an integral state which in foreign affairs has to be
approached as such, he said, but reminded it is also necessary to
energetically defend the rights of Bosnian Croats, who he said must
be constructive in order to preserve their roots on Bosnian
territory.
Separovic said Croatia should take a firmer position as regards
Bosnia's Serb entity, from whose territory 500,000 Croats were
exiled.
He asserted Croatia's agreement on normalisation of relations with
Yugoslavia had been signed too easily and too soon in view of the
many unresolved issues between the two countries. Croatia's
foreign policy, namely its president, must also resolve the issues
of Prevlaka and Klek, and return Croatia into its authentic
borders, asserted Separovic.
The new president will have to pay special attention to southern
Croatia which has been neglected over the past decade, he said,
reminding maritime orientation is very important for Croatia. He
added an end must also be put to the trend which sees an increasing
number of people leaving southern islands.
The president of the republic must behave as "the first among
equals," Separovic said, adding the president must respect the
people's will and cooperate with the government elected by the
people.
In keeping with the Constitution, the president must carefully
control the government's work and urge it to fulfil its promises in
cooperation with parliament, which he said was the centre of state
authority.
(hina) ha