Meeting in Washington Today Attempt to
Keep Problem-Plagued Alliance Intact
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States will gather Croat and Muslim officials in Washington Tuesday in another attempt to keep alive a problem-plagued federation considered crucial to Bosnia's future. "The Federation has always had its problems. But (it) is a backbone of the Dayton (peace) accords ... a necessary foundation for peace in Bosnia," State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns told reporters Monday. "And we are determined not to let it fail. It will not fail. It must succeed," he said, referring to one of two entities that comprise the new Bosnia under the 1995 Dayton peace agreement. The other entity is the Serb republic.Burns said the meeting's goal is "to talk with the leaders of the Federation — and all of them will be here tomorrow — about the many connections that hold the Federation together." This includes merging the Muslim and Croat armies, implementing civilian aspects of the peace accord such as elections, ensuring the return of refugees and human rights and possibly forming a joint commission on reconstruction.
Commitments to integrate Muslim and Croat entities in the Federation have been made before but have foundered on the private nationalist agendas of politicians on both sides and resistance of local ethnic gangsters who profit from division.
In Zagreb Saturday, Croat and Muslim leaders vowed to realize the promises of their shaky Bosnian federation more quickly. The Washington talks, due to open with remarks by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, is aimed at building on that Zagreb meeting. Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters the most important task Tuesday is resolving disputes over a defense law, leading to an integrated Croat-Muslim army.
"Tomorrow if the Bosnian Muslim and Croat federation finds a solution to the defense law, the whole process will go much easier," he said. Granic also said the parties would discuss plans for elections in the divided Bosnian city of Mostar. Croatia strongly supports holding the polls May 31, he said.
In Brussels, the European Union Monday stuck by its plans to hold elections in Mostar May 31, despite the refusal of Muslim political parties to register for the vote. Bosnia's U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Sacirbey, a Muslim, said problems surrounding the election bode ill for the Federation.
"The base for the federation should be fairness and reversing the consequences of war and ethnic cleansing ... If we don't have a commitment to do that ... the Federation will have a false foundation," he told Reuterss Television. The elections were thrown in doubt after political parties based on the city's Muslim east bank failed to register by a Friday midnight deadline in a protest of voting rules they say penalize non-Croats displaced from Mostar by war.
Croats and Muslims fought a bitter war that devastated and divided the city in 1993. The end of open conflict and the setting up of an EU administration in the city has done little to heal the wounds, with few refugees allowed to return home. The elections are seen as a key step to reintegration and a test of the fairness of polling in Bosnia before nationwide elections due by Sept. 15 under the Dayton peace deal.
Muslims argue the voting rules will effectively legitimize the loss of their homes and asked for a delay to reconsider the EU election proposals. Burns said that as imperfect as Croat-Muslim ties may be, "it's a lot better than the relationship between the Muslims and the Serbs" and at least there is a federation mechanism to work out problems.
In addition to Granic, those at the Wednesday meeting will include Federation President Kresimir Zubak, Federation Vice President Ejup Ganic, Bosnia's prime minster and foreign minister and the deputy to Carl Bildt, the international community's high representative for Bosnia.
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