Self-rule Bosnians face sanctions

In this story: Fragile Federation Tough stance RELATED STORIES, SITES

MOSTAR, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Western diplomats have threatened sanctions against Bosnian Croat hard-liners after they threatened to form their own government.

The threat was made on Saturday at a self-proclaimed Croat National Assembly where the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) voted to enact self-rule in Croat-dominated cantons of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation.

Such a move is in direct contravention of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accord, and risks shattering the already fragile federation.

"We've been looking at various sanctions," one diplomat told Reuters. "I think there will be something very soon."

"I take this opportunity to remind all concerned that any individual found to be engaged in illegal or anti-Dayton activities, including the establishment and maintenance of parallel structures, will be liable to sanction in accordance with my mandate," said Wolfgang Petrisch, the international High Representative in Bosnia.

Fragile Federation

The Dayton Accord, which ended the Bosnian war of 1992-95, divided the former Yugoslav republic into two autonomous entities, a Bosnian Serb republic and a Muslim-Croat federation, each with its own president, parliament and government.

The federation has from the outset been an uneasy coalition, with hardliners on both sides of the ethnic divide arguing for a further division of the region into Croat and Muslim controlled areas.

HDZ leader Ante Jelavic has been especially strident in his calls for Croat autonomy.

In elections last year the HDZ lost ground to more moderate parties, mainly as a result of an international change to the region's electoral law which allowed both Croats and Muslims to henceforth elect Croat deputies to the federation's parliament.

It was this rule-change that prompted the HDZ to announce its breakaway Croat government.

According to the Croat National Assembly's proposals an "intercantonal council," based in Mostar, would assume legislative, judicial and executive powers in those cantons of the former Yugoslav republic under Croat control.

It would control the army, police and all civilian institutions, would pass its own budget, laws and other financial regulations, and would pay taxes and other dues into central government and not federation coffers.

The breakaway government would be shelved, however, if the international community revoked its controversial electoral legislation within 15 days.

"If they comply with our demands, we shall not go ahead with the self-rule," said Jelavic.

Tough stance

The international community, however, is in no mood to bargain, and looks set to impose swift and tough sanctions against Jelavic and his Croat nationalists.

"A variety of things…..could be done that would hurt the HDZ and bring the (Croat part of Bosnia's) economy to a screeching halt," said a diplomatic source.

Among the options being considered are travel bans on Croatians, a freeze on the activities of Bosnia's main Croat bank and other large Croat companies, and a ban on foreign investment.

"What needs to happen is that the HDZ needs to have its economic heart cut out because it's linked to corruption," said the diplomatic source.

Jelavic said that he did not expect sanctions to materialize "because we have done nothing wrong. It was not us who violated the Dayton accord and the constitution and ignored the political will of the Croat people."

Petritsch, however, insisted that Jelavic and his party would be held "personally accountable for provocative actions."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Republic of Serbia
The Dayton Peace Agreement
Republic of Croatia

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