It could not have been formed [the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina] because our political partners, the muslims, have obstructed its formation at every step, while accusing the Croats in the media of allegedly not supporting the federation. The proof for this is the session of the federation's parliament, which has not been convened nor will it be convened in a foreseeable future, although its work should have been completed long ago in order to set a stage for the formation of the federal government which, according to the Bonn agreement, should have started to function after 4/15 of this year.
Being sincerely dedicated to the implementation of the agreements signed in the castle Petersburg near Bonn, although aware that the agreement is not in all aspects favorable for us, the Croatian side suggested to the muslim side that the party delegations of the Croatian Democratic Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina (CDUHBH) and the Party of Democratic Action (PDA) [ethnic Muslim party in Bosnia and Herzegovina], at a place and time set by the muslim side, define a program for the session of the federal parliament. The muslims have never replied to this suggestion. Then, the Croats suggested that, due to the ever stronger Serb attacks on Sarajevo, because of closed roads and impossible access to the city, let alone peaceful work and secure movement within the city, the session takes place in Novi Travnik where all the conditions are favorable: large hall, hotel in which the parliamentarians could stay, secure distance from the chetnik snipers and artillery. It was also offered to use the Ministry of Internal Affairs of CRHB for security needs and to cover the expenses; however, the partners, un-partner-like but dictatorially and with ultimatums, demanded that the session take place in the federal capital [Sarajevo]. They don't like Novi Travnik - what cynicism!? - since, in the opinion of a "proven democrat" Edhem Bicakic, "human rights are not respected" there; in other words, the only political party active in Novi Travnik is the county organization of the CDUBH. According to the logic of a well known prison mass, favorite object of amusement for toughened and perverted criminals, wherever there are Croats there is no democracy, freedom and human rights, which are only present where mujahedeen shoot at Catholic churches, take off their crosses, force Croats out of their homes and establish mosques in those Croatian homes. According to Bicakic that is democracy and a legal and secular state!?
Although the Washington agreements - mentioned here in plural since they define relations of the Croats and the muslim-bosniacs in the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the federation's confederal relations with the republic of Croatia, although muslims unbearably easily forget the latter - clearly stated that in the transitional period during the formation of the federation the military units of the HVO [Croatian Defense Council, the Bosnian Croat's army] and the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina should maintain their separate identities, to be merged in a single federal army in the future, the muslim authorities have recently, yet again, tried to make equal the HVO and the Serb occupying army. Specifically, the government in Sarajevo has proposed the legislation regulating the procedures for extradition of accused war criminals to the court in the Hague; together with chetnik criminals they mention, as they say, the extremist faction of the HVO. Even the most naive Croat knows that there are no more or less extreme factions in the army of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, established to defend the Croat people and its rights. Muslim fundamentalists would eagerly accuse the whole HVO of crimes and send it to the Hague and then turn Croats into raja [serfs] as during the Ottoman empire. Fortunately, we have learned from history and we know that those without protection will be pitied and the strong ones who can protect themselves, will be respected.
The example of the custom duties shows how well have the muslim politicians learned the lessons of hypocrisy from their Serb teachers. They keep calling Herzeg-Bosna a para-state, still they have virtually recognized its existence. In border territories, they have introduced customs duties on all goods which are shipped from the free Croatian territories to Bosnia. Croatian suggestion, to use returnable deposits to discourage smuggling, was proclaimed to be illegal and contested in front of our friends Germans and other sponsors of the federation using flagrant lies and fabrications. They [the Muslims] did not bother to apologize once the situation has been cleared up, and continue with the same practices.
Even their so-called great military victories are nothing but pure propaganda. They took almost a week to admit that the HVO made possible their victory on Vlasic with its artillery support. On Majevica where that support was lacking, Serbs recovered all temporary lost positions inflicting great losses on the muslim army and additional destruction on the cities of Tuzla and Kalesija. I am not mentioning this to make someone happy because of the Serb success; I know the Serbs and I know what they want, but the muslims should be reminded how efficient they are without us. However, they would build the federation with themselves only and, if at all possible, without the Croats. And that won't work. The Croats are for the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but not for any federation, for the voluntary union of equal partners, the federation which will be in confederation with Croatia; and if it isn't than we won't be in that federation. Also, we are not interested in any state-legal union with Rumposlavia, besides neighborly cooperation of two independent and sovereign states.