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At its meeting yesterday in New York, the United Nations Security Council condemned "recent unilateral moves by the so-called Croat National Congress to establish Croat self-rule in open contradiction of the provisions of the Peace Agreement."
In a statement read by the Council’s President, Anatoliy Zlenko, the Security Council expressed "its support for the High Representative in taking action against persons holding public office who are found to be in violation of legal commitments made under the Peace Agreement" and called "on all parties to work within the legal institutions and constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina." The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, was presenting his regular report to the Security Council on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his address, he stressed recent positive developments, particularly the new reform-oriented governments, encouraging refugee return figures and progress in the establishment of an appropriate economic framework. At the same time, he warned against calls to reduce international involvement and partition the country due to instability in the Balkan region elsewhere and the declaration of "Croat self-rule" in BiH. The High Representative’s presentation was followed by a discussion on the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during which speakers expressed support of his actions against Ante Jelavic and other former HDZ officials who violated the constitutional frame-work of BiH. They welcomed the establishment of non-nationalistic, reform-oriented governments in BiH and fully backed the strategic priorities that the High Representative is pursuing: economic reform, refugee return and state-building. "The EU expresses its continued support to the High Representative in his endeavours to ensure the implementation of the Dayton/Paris Accords," said Pierre Schori, the representative of Sweden which currently hold the Presidency of the European Union (EU), speaking on behalf of the EU and countries associated with it. He expressed the EU’s support for the removal of Ante Jelavic and three other former HDZ officials, condemning "the unilateral moves by the so-called Croat National Congress to place themselves outside the provisions of the Dayton/Peace Accords." "The EU calls on the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina to work within the legal institutions of their country at all levels to promote their interests," said Mr Schori. "At the same time, the EU welcomes the High Representative’s express desire to maintain a dialogue with Bosnian Croats and to encourage their participation in improving economic, social and cultural conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina." Mr Schori also noted the establishment in BiH of "a government without the participation of nationalistic countries," promising that "the new government will have the full support of the EU in fulfilling commitments undertaken in Dayton/Paris." The US representative, Mark Minton, applauded the resolute action the High Representative had taken to deal with Mr Jelavic and said: "My government has made very clear its continuing belief that the international community has an important role to play in pushing for democracy when it grinds to a halt, and it is Ambassador Petritsch who leads the international community’s effort in this regard." The French representative, Yves Doutriaux, said that France, too, supported the High Representative’s decision to remove Mr Jelavic. "In the light of the delicate institutional balance that characterises Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is more than necessary to clearly show, visibly for everyone, the necessity not to deviate from the framework set by the Peace Agreement," he said. France also welcomed "the new atmosphere in Bosnia and Herzegovina." "After five years of nationalist domination, the change in favour of a coalition of multi-ethnic, democratic and modern parties has become a reality," Mr Doutriaux said and stressed the need for the new government to carry out the necessary social and economic reforms. The representative of the United Kingdom, Stewart Eldon, noted the significant achievements in BiH and said the work of the High Representative was clearly making an impact. He also said it was important that the High Representative reach out to the Bosnian Croat communities and work closely with other regional governments, particularly the government in Croatia. Gennady Gatilov, the Russian representative, noted that there were both positive developments but also matters of serious concerns in BiH. As matters of concern, he noted the refusal of nationalist parties to comply with the results of the general elections held last year, in which moderate forces had won over the nationalists, and the worrisome economic situation and social conditions in BiH. Croatia’s representative, Ivan Simonovic, expressed concern with the present state of affairs in BiH and the constitutional structure of BiH, adding, however, that the Croatian Government regretted that some of the political grievances of the Croatian population in B&H had been addressed in an inappropriate manner by some of their elected representatives. "Primarily, I refer to unilateral decisions taken by some Croatian political actors at their recent gathering in Mostar," he said. "The Mostar Declaration leads the Croatian community in B&H onto the road of isolation, and thereby, furthers marginalisation. This course of action, by no means, should be of any benefit to them. At the same time, it is damaging both for the interests of B&H and Croatia. As a matter of principle, ultimatums are not the method that we approve of now or in the future, when it comes to dealing with sensitive issues. This principle applies equally to all parties, including international actors involved in settling political problems in BiH." "We understand the reaction of the High Representative to the Mostar Declaration," Mr Simonovic said. "My Government views the High Representative’s intervention as an act directed only against individuals, and not as an action directed against the Croatian community in B&H as a whole. We see it as a reaction against radical methods being used, and not as a step against the legitimate interests of the Croatian community in B&H as recognised by Dayton. We do hope that the Croatian people in B&H will see it in this way, too." Bosnia and Herzegovina’s representative, Husein Zivalj, thanked the U.N. Security Council and the High Representative for their engagement in BiH and said two issues were crucial for the successful implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the establishment of a multi-ethnic society: the return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes, and the full deployment of the State Border Service to protect BiH’s borders. The Yugoslav representative, Dejan Sahovic, emphasised his country’s full commitment to the consistent implementation of, and full respect for the Peace Agreement. He said there was no alternative to the consistent implementation of Dayton, and while his country was fully aware that the primary responsibility lay with Bosnia and Herzegovina, his country, as a neighbor, stood ready to render its contribution. Mr Sahovic stressed that Yugoslavia was very much interested in the return of refugees living in Yugoslavia back to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also explained the Special Relations Agreement between the FRY and Republika Srpska as being envisaged by the Dayton Peace Agreement to regulate relations in areas such as science and economy. He emphasised that at the same time a number of important state-to-state agreements were being prepared in fields such as trade, customs and transport and legal assistance.
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