NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL APPLAUDS SAROVIC'S RESIGNATION

ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, April 2 (Hina) - NATO Secretary-General George Robertson on Wednesday applauded the resignation tendered by the Bosnian Serb chairman of the Bosnian Presidency, Mirko Sarovic, assessing that that was the only possibility considering Sarovic's political responsibility in the affair of arms export to Iraq by Republika Srpska's VZ Orao company. #L# Robertson' statement notes that the uncooperative and obstructive conduct of Bosnian Serb entity authorities also demands of the High Representative in Bosnia, Lord Ashdown, to undertake other decisive measures to strengthen civil and state control in the Bosnian Federation and Republika Srpska. One needs to add to the affair the recent revelation by SFOR about aggressive intelligence activities by Republika Srpska aimed against the international community, says Robertson. He described such activities as impermissible defiance of commitments which Republika Srpska authorities were obliged to keep under the Dayton Agreement. Such a conduct is also in contrast to SFOR's instructions and completely justifies far reaching reforms announced by Ashdown, said Robertson. According to him, the illegal export of arms to Iraq, which is a violation of Security Council resolutions, weakens the international positions of Republika Srpska and Bosnia, and intelligence activities against the international community is a waste of scanty resources necessary for economic revival and reform of the armed forces, says the statement. Not only is the conduct of Sarovic and others in Republika Srpska wrong, but also reflects the mind-set of people still living in the past, said Robertson. He added that people in the Serb entity deserved much better than their elected representatives and that Sarovic's successor must look into the future and learn a lesson from the recent events. (hina) lml sb