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Dear citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina - especially Croat citizens:
As you have probably heard, I have been forced today to remove Ante Jelavic and three other HDZ officials. I have not taken this Decision lightly. Since Mr Jelavic embarked on an anti-Dayton course even before the November elections, claiming that the Croats were in an unequal position, I’ve tried to discuss his concerns with him many, many times. Mr Jelavic said the HDZ did not like the PEC Rules. I told him they were a thing of the past and asked him to co-operate in the drafting of a new election law, a law which will govern all future elections in the country. He refused. He claimed the Federation was not good for the Croats. I asked him to nominate members to the Constitutional Commissions. They will draft amendments to the Entity Constitutions in accordance with the Constituent Peoples Decision of the Constitutional Court. These amendments will change the institutional set-up of the Federation and make the Croats a constituent people in the RS even. Mr Jelavic refused again, although this will give the Croats constituent status across the whole of BiH - a truly positive and welcome development! All this has led me to believe that Mr Jelavic is not concerned about the well-being and position of the Croats, the people he allegedly represents, but only the well-being and position of extreme nationalists and perhaps even criminal elements in his party. Law and order are slowly taking root in BiH. People like Jelavic - they do not want normality, the rule of law, economic prosperity for everybody. On Saturday in Mostar, Jelavic and others declared a kind of third Entity because they hoped it would allow them to continue to pursue their personal interests and to further enrich themselves. This is of course not what I want. I want the Croats of BiH to participate in the improvement of conditions here - economic, social and cultural conditions. I will not allow only a few to get richer and richer, while ordinary people are left behind. I want the Croats of BiH to feel good and prosper here, in their homeland where they have lived for many, many centuries. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs them. I want them to be led by politicians who are genuinely interested in their well-being - politicians who genuinely represent them, who genuinely work on improving their situation - politicians who respect the law, the legal institutions and procedures and international agreements. Mr Jelavic has proven not to be one of them. He has embarked on a reckless attempt to realise the old Herceg-Bosna scheme for the benefit of a few within his party. This, I could not tolerate. There will of course be no economic or other sanctions against the Croat people in BiH. On the contrary, I removed Mr Jelavic and a few others because I want the Croats to do well economically. A third Entity would be a ghetto in which they would be poor and isolated. I continue to stand ready to listen to all genuine concerns that the Croats of BiH have. I am always ready for dialogue. Their constituent status and rights are guaranteed by the Dayton Peace Agreement, and this will not change. The election law and implementation of the Constitutional Court’s Decisions are opportunities – good opportunities to even further improve the position of the Croat people. But I can do that only with Croat officials who are sincerely interested in making Bosnia and Herzegovina a normal, law-abiding European country. Thank you for listening.
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