(14 Apr 2001)

1. Panoramic shot of Mostar
2. Closer shot of destroyed and new buildings
3. APCs parked outside of Hotel Ero (OSCE HQ)
4. Spanish S-FOR soldier guarding Hotel Ero
5. Soldier guarding building, standing under OSCE sign
6. Vendor in street
7. Woman walking along street
8. SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat) Ante Jelavic, HDZ President " We are sorry that we couldn't talk to the US secretary. I think that the idea of making a separation between what he calls minority Croat nationalists and majority Croats is shaky. I believe the US Secretary of State was badly briefed and I would like to say that when we talk about the Croats People's Assembly - which is the political leadership of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina - this is an official representative body for the Croat people whose members were elected on a local and regional level on 11th April 2000. They represent more than 95% of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. That makes almost a complete majority. We are a majority and we are legal representatives of the Croats."
9. Cutaway traffic
10. SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat) Marko Tokic, Vice President HDZ "They do not want to talk and obviously they think that they could solve problems by force. They have shown what they want to do with this first attack on a private Bank, a private company. And I believe that they will do something like this again very soon."
11. Two S-FOR soldiers near APC
12. Mid shot and close up of Bosnian government decree saying any Croat soldiers or police not wearing official insignia will henceforth be considered paramilitary forces

STORYLINE:

The president of the hardline Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Bosnia, Ante Jelavic, has defended the legitimacy of his party and its policy of self-rule within Bosnia.

He was responding to comments made by U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell in Sarajevo after his meeting with Bosnian leaders.

Powell told reporters, "We know the difference between the Croat people of Bosnia Herzegovina, whose community has brought forth many fine leaders, and a small group who use nationalist propaganda in fighting to preserve their own power and fighting to preserve their own wealth."

Jelavic said the H-D-Z was much more representative of the Croat people than Powell believes: "We represent 90 per cent of Croats in Bosnia. We are the majority", he said.

Powell said on Friday: "The challenge to the elected governments here from hardliners in the H-D-Z party threatens to set back the progress that Bosnia-Herzegovina has made in recent years".

Jelavic, speaking in Croat-dominated Mostar on Saturday, denied the H-D-Z was a hardline nationalist party.

Tensions have been high in Croat areas of Bosnia after the Croatian Democratic Union declared last month it would break off its alliance with the country's Muslims and set up a Croat government.

The worst violence in Bosnia in years flared last week when international officials blocked a Bosnian Croat bank, accusing it of fuelling the Croat separatist movement by providing funds to the H-D-Z.

Around two dozen members of Bosnia's NATO-led peacekeeping force, S-FOR, and other international officials were injured in the rioting which followed.

On Saturday, H-D-Z Vice President Marko Tokic criticised the Bosnian government's decision to interfere with the bank's affairs.

In a further crackdown on the separatists on Friday, the government of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation urged NATO-led peacekeepers to regain control of military facilities occupied by Bosnian Croat units.


That could open the door to arrest and prosecution of rebellious soldiers and police officers.

Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ] ​​
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]


You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть