CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON BELGRADE'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO SEVER POLITICAL TIES WITH BOSNIAN SERBS

SEVER POLITICAL TIES WITH BOSNIAN SERBS ZAGREB, Aug 5 (Hina) - "The Government of the Republic of Croatia considers the recent decision by the Belgrade authorities to be a small step in the right direction but a highly insufficient one: Belgrade apparently has proclaimed the suspension of its political ties with the Bosnian Serb leadership, but it has not even verbally severed political ties with its equally belligerent proxies in the occupied territories of the Republic of Croatia," reads a statement by the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Belgrade authorities' announcement to break off political connections with Bosnian Serbs. The statement further stresses: "Before making any judgments on the future deliberations and decisions within the Contact Group and the Security Council, the international community and the Republic of Croatia in particular, have yet to see what concrete measures will be undertaken by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) to withhold the real support and aid, that is military and economic assistance, from its proxies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The international community first has to monitor and evaluate how these measures might affect the situation on the ground and how lasting the impact and consequences are going to be. In this respect, the Government of Croatia wishes to emphasize that strict monitoring and effective control of borders between FRY and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia is of paramount importance in bringing about a real change in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Croatian occupied territories. Therefore, the Government of Croatia calls on the international community, and the Contact Group in particular, to preserve in its present effort, maintain and even increase its diplomatic and real pressure on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) until, in a similar manner, Belgrade clearly and irrevocably demonstrates its good intentions by severing ties with the self-proclaimed authorities in the occupied territories of Croatia thus making its first meaningful contribution to peaceful reintegration of UNPAs. Welcoming the recent announcement from Belgrade no matter how insufficient it is, the Government of Croatia wishes to remind all relevant parties that genuine progress, in political terms, can be judged positive only when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) extends full and unequivocal recognition to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia within their internationally-recognized borders; and in real terms, only when Belgrade authorities begin taking concrete and sustained military and economic measures with respect to their proxies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The Government of Croatia believes that, if the recent announcement from Belgrade is to be taken as a bona fide acceptance of the Contact Group peace plan in its entirety, including the reference made to the UNPAs, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) should immediately proceed to the next logical step and demonstrate its peaceful intentions by recognizing the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in accordance with, inter alia, the G-7 plus 1 Naples decisions all other former Yugoslav republics, specifically Croatia. Thus the stage would be set for a peaceful and lasting resolution to the crisis," concludes the statement of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (hina) mar mm 051752 MET aug 94