MONTENEGRIN MINISTER AGAINST CANCELLING UN MANDATE ON PREVLAKA

PODGORICA, Jan 3 (Hina) - Montenegrin Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac maintains the mandate of United Nations military observers on Prevlaka, Croatia's southern-most tip which borders on the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro, should not be cancelled yet. Commenting on southern Croatia's Dubrovnik-Neretva County's assessment that the observers should leave, Lukovac said on Thursday such an initiative was a political message to the Croatian government to expedite the settlement of this open issue between Croatia and Yugoslavia. Lukovac says in the Podgorica daily Publika the issue which led to the deployment of the UN mission on the peninsula has not been settled yet, and that the mandate could be cancelled only if the two sides reached a final solution to the issue or agreed to replace the UN observers with as many Croatian and Yugoslav police. The minister adds it is yet to be seen if the Dubrovnik-Neretva County evaluation will have enough political weight to influence the Croatian government. Lukovac announced the two countries' experts teams in charge of borders would meet in Montenegro soon. (hina) ha