BOSNIAN FEDERATION POLICE CHIEFS DISCUSS SECURITY SITUATION

MOSTAR, Aug 7 (Hina) - Bosnian Federation Interior Minister Ramo Maslesa on Wednesday met in Mostar with all ten of the Federation's cantonal police chiefs to discuss the security situation in this Croat-Muslim entity, particularly in light of an election called for Oct. 5. #L# Representatives of NATO's Stabilisation Force and the international police force attended the meeting which was closed to the public. After the meeting, Maslesa announced that a special security headquarters would be set up to monitor the election. The force will include officials from the federal police and intelligence service. Maslesa stated that posing a particular security problem were 106 agencies for the protection of persons and property operating in the Bosnian Federation. It is not known how many people these agencies employ and the quantity of arms they posses. "Some personnel engaged in these security agencies are involved in all forms of crime," Maslesa warned. He recalled that recently a law was adopted not allowing security agencies in the Federation to take on powers belonging to the police and intelligence services. Political parties are prohibited from setting up security agencies as well. Asked by journalists about the danger that some armed security agencies might rebel into a guerrilla and what measures prevented this, Maslesa replied, "if required, actions to disarm these agencies will be undertaken." He added that in the next 90 days the federal interior ministry and the cantonal interior ministries would adopt regulations relating to security companies whereby approval for their operations would be obtained from the cantonal interior ministries. Maslesa said that today's meeting also discussed the advancement of co-operation between a special anti-terrorist force with the federal interior ministry and cantonal police departments. (hina) sp ha