BOSNIAN FEDERAL GOVT. RELIEVES SECURITY SERVICE'S HEADS OF DUTIES

SARAJEVO, Sept 5 (Hina) - The government of the Croat-Muslim entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday evening decided to dismiss Ivan Vuksic from the post of the head of the Federation's Intelligence and Security Service (FOSS) following a scandal which occurred after the publication in the media of documents on the wiretapping of a former head of the agency, Munir Alibabic. #L# At a closed session on Thursday evening, the government of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina also decided to initiate proceedings for relieving the FOSS executive director Edhem Besic of duty. In compliance with the Constitution and the federal laws, the replacement should be approved by the Federation's President and Vice Presidents, but this is only a formality at the moment. Zdravko Jukic and Nezir Fiso were appointed as the FOSS acting head and acting executive director respectively. On Wednesday Vuksic tendered his resignation. He said he would step down as he was under huge pressure of the media and because of the fact that a court process would soon be launched against him for his involvement in taking hostage in April 2001 during the Herzegovacka Bank crisis. This week the Sarajevo-based Dnevni Avaz daily reported that by tapping Alibabic's phone, the FOSS learned that he and the leader of Social Democratic Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zlatko Lagumdzija, had allegedly planned to carry out a coup. It was subsequently established that the documents were material recently forwarded to the State Prosecution for inspection. In addition, making such a document available to the media is a criminal act for which the most responsible office-holders in the FOSS must bear consequences. The replaced FOSS executive director Besic also issued a letter earlier this week in which he pointed the finger at Vuksic as the most responsible for the disclosing of the information. (hina) ms