INT. DIPLOMATS INSIST ON COMPREHENSIVE PROBE INTO ARMS SCANDAL

SARAJEVO, Oct 27 (Hina) - Only the conduct of a comprehensive investigation into all the circumstances under which the "Orao" company from the Serb entity sold military equipment to Iraq could save Bosnia-Herzegovina from sanctions which the United Nations might impose. #L# International diplomats, who on Sunday held a news conference in Sarajevo, confirmed that there was unequivocal evidence that the company from the north-eastern town of Bijeljina had violated the UN embargo on the delivery of arms to Iraq. The head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia, Robert Beecroft, said that in next week he would report to the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe that Bosnia had violated obligations resulting from a 1994 resolution the OSCE adopted when it explicitly banned the delivery of arms and parts of military equipment from OSCE member-states to the Saddam Hussein regime. The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) commander, William Ward, said he had demanded of the Bosnian Serb entity's authorities to launch investigations not only into the said company, but also into all other factories manufacturing of arms and military equipment in that part of Bosnia. Banja Luka is asked to punish all responsible persons and set up an effective mechanism until 1 December so that no similar incident recur. The international community's High Representative to Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, said that the state authorities, in particular the collective Presidency, must have a greater possibility of control over the military industry. The British diplomat said that they could not believe the local Serb authorities, given that they had already carried out an investigation which was unsatisfactory. Ashdown, who believes that the some other factors from then region were implicated in the scandal, said its real scope should be established. (hina) ms