President Milanović on Meeting with Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Delegates: The only plan is to abide by the Constitution and Dayton
In the remainder of his working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović held a meeting on Monday in Mostar Town Hall with the Mayor of Mostar Mario Kordić and his associates, after which he visited the town of Ljubuški and met with delegates of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Prior to that meeting, President Milanović and President of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dragan Čović addressed journalists. “I will talk with Mr. Čović about what I said publicly. There are no secrets or hidden plans. The only plan is to abide by the Constitution and what was signed in Dayton and that is all. But it turns out that this request is also a lot,” President Milanović said before the meeting.
He explained that Croats should elect their member of the Presidency. “I don’t go further than that because I don’t want to deal with it. I will repeat again: entering the intimate space of a neighbouring state, going into the details of the election law, county organization …let those who live here do that. I think I have a good feeling and understand well what is here, that’s Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, one shouldn’t get past some things because it becomes a habit, it is repeated and turns into harassment,” said President Milanović.
“Mr. Čović was a member of the Presidency for four years and in the last term before this current one, he did not have an opponent from the phoney Croat ranks. Now he got one again, that’s not fair,” said the President, who also reminded that Croatia has a very good and generous system of minority protection and representation. “It is something we have accepted and that’s the way things are. Some in Croatia disagree. I think it’s good, but only a member of an ethnic group can vote for a representative of that ethnic group. In the first 11 years, from 1995 to 2006, it never occurred to anyone to run for a Croat seat in the Presidency and to count on being elected to the post by non-Croats. This shows that everything is clear to everyone and that it was just a matter of waiting for a moment of weakness,” President Milanović told reporters.
Apart from the President of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Dragan Čović, also attending the meeting with President Milanović were President of the General Council of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Božo Ljubić, Secretary General of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Josip Merdžo, Mayor of Ljubuški Vedran Markotić, Adviser to the President of the Croatian National Assembly Andrijana Katić and members of the Presidency of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ilija Cvitanović, Ivan Vukadin, Zrinko Čuvalo, Anto Lozančić, Ivanka Barić, Mario Karamatić, Milijan Nakić, Miro Grabovac and Nikola Raguž.
During his stay in Ljubuški, President Milanović met with Mayor Vedran Markotić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan