CONFERENCE MARKING 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF DAYTON DEAL ENDS

DAYTON, Nov 19 (Hina) - A conference held on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the conclusion of the Dayton peace accords made it possible for its participants to have a well-argumented and fair discussion on the implementation of that agreement as well as to exchange opinions on possibilities for the continuation of a stabilisation process in the south-east of Europe, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in Dayton on Saturday. Participants in this year's Dayton conference almost unanimously supported Mesic's stance that Bosnia-Herzegovina should function just as every modern state with the united military command and the financing of the defence without interference from abroad. "(Its) neighbours should help Bosnia-Herzegovina to function," President Mesic said reiterating Croatia's stand that "Croats in Bosnia are a bridge connecting the two countries." The Croatian head of state expects such an opinion from the new authorities in Belgrade. Draft proposals of the Dayton meeting were presented at the final news conference which Mesic held together with the deputy of the US special envoy for the Balkans, Ambassador James Pardew. The proposals were drawn up by an expert group of a dozen representatives of non-governmental organisations and individuals acquainted with the circumstances and developments in the region. The Dayton meeting's participants will give their opinion on the proposals subsequently, whereas within next 30 days a series of recommendations should be prepared on the further implementation of the Dayton peace accords. An expert, Paul Williams, explained that the proposals should also help the new US President in his efforts to define a policy towards southeastern Europe. According to the draft proposals, the Dayton peace accords have many imperfections and the implementation of that document has been incomplete and insufficiently consistent. Experts and NGOs' representatives believe that the future of Bosnia depends on the strengthening of the central bodies of authority and on the real functioning of the state. They insist on the immediate arrest of Bosnian Serb war criminals, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, and urge that NATO troops should get necessary means and political support for their efforts to apprehend the two Serb hardliners. In addition, Slobodan Milosevic, a former Yugoslav President and the mastermind behind plans about a Great Serbia, must soon be handed over to the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. As regards the situation in Kosovo, the proposals suggest the urgent protection of Serb community and other ethnic groups that are in a minority. With the continuation of the conduct of the election process and the set-up of local self-government, it is necessary to define a deadline for a decision on the final status of Kosovo. Montenegro should arrange its relations with Serbia through negotiations and the Montenegrin people has the right to decide on its own destiny. The international assistance to Podgorica cannot be conditioned by whether Montenegrins will remain in a community with Serbia. NATO should remain in the region until the situation and stability become self-sustaining. One of important factors for the stability of this region is prospects of entering European integration processes, and the European Union and other countries in question should invest more efforts for this purpose. One of the draft proposals speaks of the importance of the United States' political and military role for the accomplishment of the aforementioned objectives. According to experts, the US resolute engagement is a pre-condition for a gradual decrease in that engagement. Regarding the fact that many officials of the incumbent U.S Administration were at this conference which took place in Wright Patterson base, reporters asked organisers whether aides of the Republican presidential candidate, George W. Bush, attended the event. On behalf of the organisers, the Dayton project's director, Bruce Hitcher, responded that they had been invited but did not appear at the conference. (hina) ms