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Bosnian Croats to Review Separatist Cabinet Decision
Highly-critised decision to form a separatist cabinet
By Zoran Radosavljevic
MOSTAR, Bosnia, June 23 (Reuters) - Bosnian Croats announced on Sunday they would review their sharply criticised decision to form a separatist cabinet, but insisted their move had been misunderstood because of a clumsily worded press statement. In mid-June the Croats appointed a new "prime minister" for their separatist "republic" of Herceg-Bosna which was supposed to have been dismantled and merged into the Muslim-Croat Federation under the 1995 Dayton peace treaty.
They also appointed new interior, finance and justice ministers despite announcing earlier this year that they would abolish Herceg-Bosna.
Last week the European Union slammed the decision as an open violation of the Dayton agreement, conflicting with efforts to strengthen the Muslim-Croat Federation, and urged Croatia to bring its Bosnian kin into line. The Muslim-Croat federation is considered a cornerstone of the Dayton accord, counterbalancing Bosnian Serb aspirations to unify with neighbouring Serbia.
At a news conference on Sunday, however, Bosnian Croats brushed aside criticism that they were working in contradiction with the peace process, and instead said they had been misunderstood. "We have made a wrong move in our self-presentation. This is an example of how we managed to show a good decision in bad light," said Federation and Herceg-Bosna Defence Minister Vladimir Soljic. The head of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Bosnia, Bozo Rajic, said the press statement explaining the decision had only handed amunition to their rivals.
"The statement did not show the essence of the thing, which gave arguments to our critics," he said. The Croat officials told Sunday's news conference that their original press statement failed to mention that the cabinet reshuffle had effectively halved the number of ministries, to make way for future federal bodies. Earlier this week they also said Herceg-Bosna must continue as a "transitional arrangement" until those federal bodies start functioning properly.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Jandanko Prlic told Reuterss the way the decision had been publicised was wrong and he therefore understood the reaction of the international community. "So it is necessary to change the essence of this decision and the way we function in this interim period," Prlic said. He said they would build a coordinating body to help adjust the present administrative system in Croat-controlled territory to co-ordinate with the Federation authorities.
The Federation, formed in 1994 under immense U.S. pressure, has struggled to function ever since, hindered by lingering mistrust and nationalism on both sides. Little progress has been made in establishing common institutions and laws.
"Croats keep making blunders," a Western diplomatic source told Reuterss. "They should pay some expert from America to come and do propaganda for them."
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. |
Berserkistan, June 21 · EU Condemns Separatist Bosnian Croat Republic
Berserkistan, June 17 · Croats in Bosnia Bolster 'Bogus' State
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