Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Wednesday attended the international conference entitled "America at a Crossroad - the Dayton Accords and the Beginning of 21st Century Diplomacy," organised by former President Bill Clinton's Clinton Global Initiative in New York.
"The Dayton agreement has fulfilled its most important function: it stopped the war and enabled Bosnia and Herzegovina to embark on a new road. The agreement has not solved all issues and everybody is aware today that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs certain changes, primarily the equality of all peoples," Josipovic told the Croatian Television on late Wednesday night after attending the New York event.
Asked whether the Dayton accords should be upgraded and whether the conference considered that option, the Croatian president said that today's event had been an opportunity to state that the Dayton deal was an important political agreement in its time.
We also discussed the future, which is most important, Josipovic said adding that it is important that all admit that only the three constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina can find a lasting and satisfactory solution, without interferences from outside.
Asked by the broadcast's host whether Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina could look forward to international assistance in a bid to be provided with the equal position, Josipovic said that the new times in Bosnia and Herzegovina were more important than international pressure.
He said that until recently this was a tabu, while today the issue was being openly discussed.
It is most important that the problem is being identified by politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are not Croats, Josipovic said.
On the margins of the conference, the Croatian President met with European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.
According to Josipovic, while addressing the conference Ashton said that Croatia was on the threshold of the EU and that it was matter of time when it would enter the Union.
In his speech at one of panel discussions at the New York conference, Croatian president spoke about the importance of policy of reconciliation, cooperation and mutual solidarity among countries in southeastern Europe.
He said that with Croatia's entry into the EU ,which he hopes to happen in January 2013, the enlargement of the EU to southeastern Europe must not stop.
