HIGH REPRESENTATIVE REPLACES THREE BH OFFICIALS

SARAJEVO, May 23 (Hina) - Wolfgang Petritsch, the international community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Tuesday replaced three high officials of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina who are believed to be responsible for obstructing the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement and for accumulated problems in privatisation. The governor of Livno Canton in south-west Bosnia, Ivan Ivic, and the canton's prime minister Mirko Mihaljevic have been replaced in line with Petritsch's decision of May 22, said Oleg Milisic, spokesman for the Office of the High Representative (OHR). Stijepo Andrijic was replaced as president of the management board of the BH Federation Agency for Privatisation on Monday. Milisic said the two most responsible officials of Livno Canton had been replaced due to "persistent and serious obstruction of the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement", in particular the non-functioning of the judicial system, which has resulted in numerous problems obstructing attempts to establish the rule of law. "Ivic and Mihaljevic refused to appoint competent prosecutors and judges in the canton thus causing serious damage to all law-abiding citizens," Milisic said. The former governor and the premier were forbidden to perform any public duties in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In Andrijic's case, the High Representative estimated that he had considerably obstructed the process of privatisation in the BH Federation. (hina) mm rml