UN TO MONITOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN BOSNIA, YUGOSLAVIA

NEW YORK, June 4 (Hina) - The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Monday confirmed a proposal by the Human Rights Commission that the office of Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Balkans, held by Jiri Dienstbier, be cancelled. #L# At its annual meeting in Geneva, the Human Rights Commission suggested the appointment of a special rapporteur on human rights in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia for a period of a year and a half. This means, as was expected, that Croatia is no longer under the monitoring of the UN Human Rights Commission. The new special rapporteur would be in charge of monitoring Yugoslavia's cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal, the release of persons who have been unjustly imprisoned, the identification of the missing, refugee returns and minority protection. A majority of ECOSOC members, 28 of them, supported the Commission's proposal while then members opposed it. Russia demonstrated the strongest opposition to the proposal, disagreeing with the "territorial" reduction of the special rapporteur's powers. UN diplomatic sources say Portuguese diplomat Jose Cutilleiro was willing to take over the office of UN special rapporteur on human rights in Bosnia and Yugoslavia. (hina) rml