CROATIA REQUESTS FROM MOSLEMS TO STOP PRESSURE ON CROATS

ZAGREB, March 4 (Hina) - An assistant to Croatian Foreign Minister, Hido Biscevic, on Tuesday received Bosnia-Herzegovina's Ambassador to Croatia, Kasim Trnka, for talks on current issues concerning the implementation the Dayton agreements, the Croat-Moslem relations in the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, and relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to a statement, Biscevic said that the Republic of Croatia was greatly expecting that the Bosniak (Moslem) side would take all political and other measures in order to stop pressure and violence against Croats in the Bosnian Federation and in order to prevent frequent attacks against priests and facilities of the Roman Catholic church. Biscevic protested most strongly against the latest attack at the Church of St Joseph at Marin Dvor in Sarajevo. He added that Croatia expressed indignation at the fact that perpetrators of violent acts had not been brought to justice and it was expecting more energetic activities in this respect, particularly in the light of the forthcoming visit of Pope John Paul II to Sarajevo. Both Biscevic and Trnka stressed that it was necessary to stop negative tendencies in the relations between the two federal partners. The Croatian side said it was determined to check individual harmful local criminal acts and Croatia was expecting from the Moslem side to show the same resoluteness in this regard. The two sides maintained that the relations of the both entities ( the Federation and the Serb entity) in Bosnia with their neighbouring countries should be promoted in line with provisions and principles of the Washington and Dayton accords. (hina) mm mš 041455 MET mar 97