Croatian straits between Bosnia and Herzegovina and high seas

Abstract

Hrvatska namjerava graditi most kopno-Pelješac i njime povezati svoj krajnji jugoistok s ostalim dijelom zemlje. Most bi se nalazio iznad morskoga puta u unutrašnje morske vode i teritorijalno more BiH. Hrvatski je početni prijedlog za visinu mosta bio 35 metara. BiH se s tom visinom mosta nije složila, jer bi takav most praktički onemogućio ostvarivanje prava neškodljivog prolaska bosanskohercegovačkih i stranih brodova u i iz otvorenoga mora u more pod suverenitetom BiH. Budući da međunarodno pravo (Konvencija UN o pravu mora iz 1982.) jamči neškodljivi prolazak tjesnacima koji služe međunarodnoj plovidbi - a u tu skupinu spadaju hrvatski tjesnaci u kojima je plovni put iz i u otvoreno more iz bosanskohercegovačke luke Neum - dvije su države započele pregovore o visini mosta. Stručnjaci iz obje države složili su se da visina mosta od 55 metara omogućava prolazak brodova kojih se plovidba spomenutim tjesnacima razborito može očekivati u budućnosti. Hrvatska vlada se složila s tom visinom. Još se očekuje privola Vlade BiHCroatia has an intention to build a land – Pelješac bridge to connect its southeasternmost territory with other parts of the country. The bridge would span the sea route to the internal waters and the territorial sea of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initially, Croatia proposed the bridge height of 35 m. Bosnia and Herzegovina did not consent to this proposal, because the bridge of this height would practically disable the exercise of the right of innocent passage of Bosnian-Herzegovinian and foreign vessels to and from the high seas to the sea under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since international law (1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) guarantees innocent passage through passages used for international navigation – and the Croatian passages belong to this group, whose sea-lane from and to the high seas begins at the Bosnian-Herzegovinian port Neum – the two countries have begun negotiating on the bridge height. The experts from either country have agreed that the bridge height of 55 m enables passage to vessels whose navigation through the mentioned passages may reasonably be expected in the future. The Croatian Government has given its consent to this height, while the consent of the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina is yet to be expected