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                                           NEWS: EVENING BULLETIN

       CROAT-BOSNIAK TENSION: ILIDZA, PLOCE, THE SARAJEVO CANTON

Sarajevo, March 12, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Yesterday's session of
the Sarajevo Assembly and constitution of the Sarajevo canton was
described in the Sarajevo HDZ statement as unconstitutional,
illegal, lacking quorum and HDZ. "SDA shows its goal hidden for
long: unitary one-nation and one-party state. One-national canton
cannot be the BH & Federal capital, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural,
multi-religious town. Serbs mainly left Sarajevo, Croats cannot
protect their national and political interests, have the status
of minority, not constitutive people," claims HDZ and "to protect
Croats, demands from Croat state/political factors in Federation
stop implementation of the Dayton civil annex, call extraordinary
session of the Constitutional Federal Assembly to discuss the
constitution of Sarajevo as the capital, and from president Zubak
to request from the B-H Constitutional Court the judgement if the
cantonal constitution of Sarajevo was in accord with
Constitution." Support of Croatian govt. & F. Tudjman is also
demanded. Vice-president of the Sarajevo Assembly Anto Zelic
(HDZ) says muslim extremists constituted the canton disapproved
by the mayor Tarik Kupusovic who, due to that, resigned.
     Despite the previous agreement on Sarajevo - Bosniak
majority canton, HDZ demands Sarajevo be district with parity 
authorities (in 1991 there were eight times as many Bosniaks as
Croats, the difference increased with refugee wave from eastern
Bosnia and chances for Croats to settle and get Croatian
citizenship). Sarajevo is the capital of the whole B-H, not only
Federation, so the same demand is likely to be heard from Serbs
So far, HDZ and extreme Serbs have often had similar views of
Sarajevo and B-H. Sabira Hadzovic (SDA) is the chairwoman of the
Sarajevo canton Assembly, two vice-chairmen (editor of magazine
Dani, Senad Pecanin, among them) are social democrats, the empty
chairs are left for the Jewish and HDZ representative.
     Ilidza - About 11 am today, the B-H Federal police,
including 51 Bosniaks, 26 Serbs and 13 Croats - 4 from Sarajevo
and 9 from Kiseljak entered Ilidza. Policemen from Kiseljak wore
blue uniforms of Croat police, so the B-H police demanded they
change the uniforms into green ones as worn by the B-H police,
otherwise they cannot grant them security at Ilidza. "We did not
agree to that as it is be humiliating for us," says the head of
the Kiseljak police Mladen Tolo. Nine policemen return to
Kiseljak. Grey uniforms have been tailored these days, similar to
the US uniforms which all B-H Federal policemen should wear.
     Spokesman of the International police (IPTF) A. Ivanko says:
"Prevention of Croat policemen from entering Ilidza is grave
violation of previously reached accord. Bosniak side is
responsible, so IPTF commissar P. Fitzgerald protested at Bosniak
officials. Although minister A. Hebib and his deputy Jozo Leutar
agreed on 9 policemen from Kiseljak, they are actually denied
their stay at Ilidza which they left under the threat. 
         (to be continued on the next page)


     Zagreb - talks on hiring the port Ploce to the B-H 
Federation are put off due to additional consultations of Croat
side, said the vice-president of Croatian govt. Lj. Mintas Hodak
after today's meeting of expert groups of the governments of B-H,
the B-H Federation and Croatia. Croatia will inform B-H when it
is ready to continue the talks, says Mintak Hodak. B-H minister
of foreign trade and communications Neven Tomic said two issues
are to be considered - use of the port Ploce and free access,
i.e. transport between the port and the B-H-Croatia border.
     At the session of Croatian Parliament, prime minister Matesa
expressed surprise due to great politicizing of the hiring Ploce
to B-H for 99 years, occurring "just at the moment of improved
relations between Zagreb and Sarajevo, "especially when" two
years ago, the Washington accord regulating the issue was signed
and released by all media." Matesa says: "It is clear both to
Croat and Bosniak side that it is the question of reloading in
free zone and that the B-H government has alternatives. The
question is how mich is the resistance useful for Ploce and
entire Croat interests." Opposition to Bosnian use of Ploce was
also justified by likely change demographic structure in Ploce.
     Ploce - About 2O heavy trucks blocked traffic on the main
road in Ploce protesting against "being discriminated in getting
job", transport of humanitarian aid and other goods to B-H. They
were offered to transport 1,6OO tons of flour to Sarajevo, but
they demand transport of a part of the cargo of 3O,OOO wheat
arriving soon from the USA to Ploce and then to B-H. /end/ A.S.

          BELGRADE-ZAGREB, BELGRADE-SARAJEVO: IMPROVING RELATIONS

Zagreb, March 12, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Croatian foreign minister
Granic has informed today the agreements were signed yesterday
with Yugoslavia on restoring the traffic by road, train, air and
of telecommunications and oil. Establishment of consulates to
Zagreb and Belgrade was also agreed but mutual recognition was
put off due to the dispute over Prevlaka. Besides, support in
peaceful reintegration of the eastern Croatia was demanded from
Yugoslavia and the data on missing and captured persons and their
release. Mutual protection of minorities was discussed for the
first time and stepping up the succession of ex-Yugoslavia was
agreed. Restoring the traffic via Croatia towards Belgrade and
further to south and east will bring USD 3O mill. to Croatia
annually, says Granic.
     Rijeka - In Croatian independent daily, J. Lovric quotes R.
Holbrooke: "Izetbegovic & Milosevic, entirely different persons,
recently improved their relations." Lovric writes Croats cause
tension in Sarajevo to offer: Sarajevo to Bosniaks, Mostar to
Croats. Dispute over Ploce stirs B-H to hire a part of port Bar
(Montenegro). Izetbegovic, going to hospital, repeated Sarajevo
should be equidistant to Zagreb & Belgrade, writes J.L. claiming
Tudjman, drunk of victory and position of the "regional power",
pushes Sarajevo closer to Belgrade. J.L. ends by quoting German
columnist Victor Meier (FAZ) who says Croatia can advance only
with Bosniaks, not against them, but it will not occur while
Tudjman rules, whose acts taught Sarajevo the lesson. /end/ A.S.�## CrossPoint v3.02 ##