UN SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES SITUATION IN BOSNIA

NEW YORK, March 22 (Hina) - The United Nations Security Council on Thursday held consultations on the situation in Bosnia, releasing a presidential statement in which it stresses the importance of the functioning of newly elected bodies of authority in Bosnia. An introductory speech on the situation was delivered by the international community's high representative in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch. The Security Council calls on Bosnia's authorities to expedite refugee returns, fortify democratic institutions, and pursue with the necessary economic reforms. "The Security Council welcomes the establishment of Constitutional Commissions to protect the vital interest of the constituent peoples to facilitate the implementation of the.... decision of the Constitutional Court... of 1 July 2000," read the statement. As regards an agreement on special relations between Yugoslavia and Bosnia's Serb entity, the Council requests Petritsch to closely watch its implementation to ensure compliance with Bosnia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, in line with the Dayton peace accords. The presidential statement condemns the "unilateral moves" by the Croat National Congress and calls on all to participate in the work of legal bodies of authority. In his opening address, High Representative Petritsch emphasised the international community must continue working on a successful implementation of the Dayton accords and not give up half-way. Croatia's permanent representative to the UN Ivan Simonovic agreed, saying "the Dayton goals must be implemented" and recommending constant evaluation of the functioning of the joint bodies of authority. "The major task... the international community and the people of (Bosnia) face is to prevent the constitutional structure of the country from becoming its permanent source of instability... The constitutional structure... must continue to develop and evolve with the dynamics of the country's political, economic and social life," said Simonovic. On behalf of the Croatian government he regretted "that some of the political grievances of the Croatian population in (Bosnia) have been addressed in an inappropriate manner by some of their elected representatives." "Taking aside the radical and inappropriate reaction by some political forces, one cannot simply ignore the existence of real problems and legitimate fears held by the Croatian community in (Bosnia)," Simonovic noted. He reminded Zagreb way back in October warned that the Provisional Electoral Commission decision was contrary to the Constitution of Bosnia's Croat-Muslim federation and the spirit of the Dayton accords. The Security Council session was also addressed by Swedish Ambassador Pierre Schori who, as a European Union representative, assessed that Bosnia's citizens and peoples can access Europe only within the frame of the Bosnian state. He condemned the unilateral decisions of the Croat National Congress and urged supervising the implementation of the special relations agreement between Yugoslavia and Bosnia's Serb entity. The EU calls on all indicted by the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague to surrender, and on authorities in Bosnia and elsewhere to cooperate with the tribunal and apprehend the indictees still at large, said Schori. The Security Council was also addressed by Yugoslavia's new ambassador to the UN, Dejan Sahovic, who stressed that the Belgrade authorities were fully committed to an integral implementation and respect of the Dayton accords. (hina) ha sb