BH MILITARY OFFICIALS DISCUSS REORGANISATION OF ARMED FORCES

SARAJEVO, July 6 (Hina) - Senior military officials of Bosnia- Herzegovina's two entities and representatives of NATO's Stabilisation Force on Thursday discussed measures requisite to begin with an integral reorganisation of BH's armies and the establishment of a defence structure on the state level. The Joint Military Commission convened in SFOR's headquarters in Sarajevo, pointing out BH would be viewed as incapable of integrating into key European trends as long as its military system remained in the present state. The JMC meeting was attended by army commanders of BH's Croat- Muslim federation and Republika Srpska, BH's Serb entity, generals Rasim Delic and Novica Simic, and SFOR chief commander General Ronald Adams. According to a statement from SFOR's headquarters, two separate armies in one state cannot be sustained either in economic or military terms. The statement reminds NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said BH could joint NATO's Partnership for Peace programme in five years provided it established a uniform army. The statement further says BH must pursue with reducing the armed forces in line with obligations assumed by the three members of the state presidency. By year's end, this will mean 15 percent less soldiers than at present. At the same time, measures will be taken in view of establishing a uniform defence structure on the state level, with one military command and uniform supervision. This task and the reduction of the entities' armed forces follows from decisions a peace implementation council for BH passed in May, the statement said. (hina) ha