which hopes to start EU membership talks soon -- had in the past backed Bosnian Croats' hardline nationalist policies, but said it supported all decisions by the international community that should serve to "strengthen a self-sustainable independent Bosnia". However, it voiced concern at a "noticeable tendency to sack democratically elected Bosnian Croat representatives. This is a practice that could have a serious impact on the political status of Croats in Bosnia," a government statement said. Covic, who was due to take over the rotating chairmanship of the presidency in June, had no choice but to accept Ashdown's decision, which he called 'unconstitutional'. Last week he refused calls to resign, complaining that Bosnian Croats were under attack. Ashdown, a former British politician, has sweeping powers to enact laws and sack politicians obstructing implementation of the Dayton peace accords in postwar Bosnia, which is made up of the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat federation. --More 2331 Local Time 2031 GMT
