Zagreb – After last night’s two hour meeting between the US Envoy Robert Gelbard and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, the signing of the Agreement on the Council for the mutual co-operation between Croatia and BiH was announced for tomorrow. The agencies inform that during the meeting in Zagreb, new American warnings were directed to Croatia to fulfil its Dayton obligations in full.
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Sarajevo – Before his arrival to Zagreb, Gelbard met the highest BiH Officials in Sarajevo yesterday. The meeting with Kresimir Zubak became a diplomatic incident. Zubak, offended by the American critics, as he said himself, broke off the talks.
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The American Ambassador to Sarajevo, having read Zubak’s comments on the meeting with the Special US Envoy on 28 March, issued a statement asserting that Zubak and other leaders of HDZ did not show an interest for the Federation functioning. We shall go ahead with our pressure on the Bosnian Croats and the Bosniaks to abolish all parallel institutions in order that the Federation Government can function in an adequate manner, the US Embassy Public Affairs Department Statement concludes.
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Vitez Novi Travnik – The safety situation has been very seriously violated in the the Central Bosnian Canton, especially in the municipalities Vitez and Novi Travnik. Blowing up of Bosniak houses, explosions, barricades and writing massages with the aim to threaten the Bosniak returnees, desecration of the religious objects represent some of such incidents which happened during March this year. At the meeting of the cantonal leadership with UN and IPTF representatives it was agreed that joint patrols would be stepped up, especially in the return zones.
The Federal Ministry for Interior Affairs issued a statement including a list of incidents: In the settlement Grbavica in the Municipality Vitez, unidentified persons placed and activated an explosive device at the house of Mesud Marupa, on 27 March between 1900 and 2000 hours. At the same place and in the same manner, unidentified persons destroyed objects of Fatima Salkic and Enes Memic, on 16, 17 and 23 March. It is undoubtful, that the same person or a group, were tasked with destroying the objects whose owners are the Bosniak,s the statement reads. At the Vitez locality, the unidentified persons wrote slogans offensive to the Bosniaks religious and national feelings on several Bosniak houses, such as: The year 1993 will repeat; Only as long as SFOR is defending you, may you be safe; Go there where you came from; HVO is with us. Description of incidents goes on…
In the location of Novi Travnik, yesterday in Rastovci Pero Levarda threw three explosive devices which hit the police vehicle on duty. There were no casualties,.. ..although these incidents show that there are still existing extremists who do not accept the process of returns, the Ministry information reads.
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Brussels – EU Foreign Ministers will tomorrow start their talks concerning the situation in the region of ex-Yug, especially in Kosovo, as well as of Croatia. Unofficially the possibility of introducing sanctions against Zagreb was mentioned. HR Carlos Westendorp said on Thursday in Brussels, that due to its non cooperation Croatia might be excluded from the Council of Europe, the IMF and the World Bank. In addition, any access to the Partnership for Peace could be blocked.
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