Croatia seeks equal rights for Croats in BiH

07/05/2008

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic says Croatia wants Bosnian Croats to have the same constitutional rights as the other two nationalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He told the Banja Luka-based newspaper Nezavisne Novine on Tuesday (May 6th) that the rights of all people living in BiH should be guaranteed through constitutional amendments approved both by the Bosnian Serbs and the Bosnian Muslims. He added that Croatia spent around 3.5m euros in 2007 and plans to invest more than 4m euros this year to help Bosnian Croats return to homes they lived in before the 1992-1995 conflict.

Jandrokovic's statement was in response to calls by Bosnian Croat leaders for changes to the Bosnian Constitution. They say current wording has marginalised their ethnic group, which accounts for about 15% of BiH's population. (Nezavisne Novine, DPA, Javno.com - 06/05/08)