JUTARNJI LIST
Date: February 13, 2001
The HDZ reaction: The HDZ BiH responded to the HR statements in ‘Jutarnji list’
- Jelavic: None of the HDZ leaders stated that we want to proclaim the third entity
The HDZ letter says that the article of the HR ‘published in ‘Jutarnji list’ on 12 February 2001, deals with the HDZ and its President Ante Jelavic and due to it they send this response to the statements from the article. Petritsch stated a few untruths:
2. ‘Reasons due to which the HDZ does not want to participate in the Authority is that they want to bring this country to its knees.’ There are truly no justified arguments for such a standpoint. If he has them, he should publish them, and the HDZ is the last political party, which would pull down BiH.
3. ‘The HDZ expressed its scorn towards the BiH Constitutional Court’. On the contrary, the HDZ trusted the Constitutional Court and its independent position. However, when it proclaimed itself non-competent to determine the constitutionality of some election rules, this Court drew the attention to the issue whether BiH is a constitutional state at all.
4. ‘Voters who voted for the HDZ were cheated by their political party.’ The HDZ did not cheat its voters. The HDZ would actually cheat its voters if it agrees to participate in the process in which the legitimate political will of one people is not recognized, and where somebody else elects Croat Representatives instead of the Croats and if it agrees to participate in the process which leads towards the change of the BiH internal organization.
5. The HDZ is filling the people with groundless fears about their rights and existence and it will damage the party.’ Unfortunately, the fears were confirmed long ago and the Croats can feel it every day, and the HDZ is doing everything in order to find the solutions for these justified fears. It is much more important for us what damages or benefits the Croat people, that we primarily represent, from the things that damage the HDZ.
6. ‘The insignia on caps and the insignia in general do not represent anything but the scheme of the territories that are condemned to the poverty and isolation.’ Perhaps, this is what they mean to you Mr. Petritsch, but for the Croats they represent the confirmation of their identity, the confirmation that they enjoy their legitimate rights and the confirmation of the equality with the other peoples in BiH.
So Petritsch is pushing for the third entity as well. None of the HDZ leaders stated that the HDZ will proclaim the third entity and we would be grateful if Petritsch stops to emphasize differences between the Croats on the regional basis and if he stops to work on their division. The HDZ only demands the same rights for all three constitutive peoples in BiH and institutionalization of these rights.
It is true that the HDZ refused to propose members for ‘Multi-Ethnic Constitutional Commissions’. The reason is simple, we believe that the Commission of any kind cannot replace the House of Peoples in the BiH Federation, as an instrument for the protection of the national interests. Also we do not accept to block the passing of the decisions in this House, the role that Petritsch is suggesting to us.
Office of the High Representative
13 February 2001