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EU Condemns Separatist Bosnian Croat Republic
FLORENCE, Italy, June 20 (Reuters) - The European Union on Thursday condemned the revival of a separatist "republic" by Bosnian Croats as an open violation of the Dayton peace accords and said it had urged Croatia to bring them into line. Italy, which holds the EU presidency, said the move conflicted with efforts to strengthen the Muslim-Croat federation in Bosnia and could damage prospects for elections in the ethnically divided city of Mostar on June 30.
"The Croatian government has been firmly requested to take immediate action with Croat officials in Mostar to ensure full cooperation with the peace process and the advancement of the electoral process in Mostar," a foreign ministry statement said.
It was made available to journalists in Florence, where EU leaders are due to discuss the situation in former Yugoslavia at a working dinner on Friday during their two-day summit.
Last Saturday, the Bosnian Croats appointed Pero Markovic as new "prime minister" of their separatist "republic" of Herzeg-Bosna, which was supposed to have been dismantled under last November's Dayton agreement to end Bosnia's 43-month war.
The self-proclaimed republic of Herzeg-Bosna is led by Croat nationalists in the southwest of the country who fought a 10-month war for land against Muslim forces in 1993. The Muslim-Croat federation is considered a cornerstone of the Dayton accord, meant to counter-balance Bosnian Serb aspirations to link up with neighbouring Serbia.
The Italian statement said Italy had told Croatia of the EU's "sharp concern" about the situation. Croatian authorities had said they would take action and repeated Zagreb's commitment to the Dayton accords and the Mostar elections, it said.
The vote is meant to establish a joint city government and will be watched closely as a dry run for national elections due to be held in September throughout Bosnia. |
Berserkistan, June 17 · Croats in Bosnia Bolster 'Bogus' State
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