Brussels, 08/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Bosnian Croat member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ante Jelavic, was removed on Wednesday from his position by the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, for having called for the creation of a Croat State in Bosnia.
The Presidency of the European Union reacted to this event with a declaration in which it indicates that it "understands and supports the decision today by the High Representative to remove Mt Ante Jelavic from his position as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Presidency regrets the fact that this has become necessary. However, the recent unilateral actions by Mr Jelavic and the "Croat National Congress of Bosnia and Herzegovina" have taken place to the detriment of the interests of the Croats in Bosnia, as with all the other peoples in Bosnia Herzegovina. These statements also went against the Paris/Dayton agreement and are thus incompatible with the role of the member of the Presidency of Bosnia Herzegovina. The Presidency of the EU also supports the decision to remove Ivo Andric-Luzanski as a delegate in the Bosnia Herzegovina House of Representatives and to bar him, alongside Marko Tovic and Zdravko Batinic, from running in elections, holding public office and post within political parties. The EU Presidency calls on the Bosnian Croat people to work within the legal institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to promote their legitimate interest". (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.6, EU declaration concerning Croat unilateral initiatives).