US CALLS ON JELAVIC TO REVOKE DECISION ON APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Hina) - The United States requests and expects Croat representatives in the authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina to respect all agreements, including those on the appointment of high- ranking officers of the Croat-Muslim Federation Army, a State Department spokesman said on Monday. Spokesman Lee McClenny called on the Croat member of the BH collective presidency, Ante Jelavic, to comply with the request of SFOR chief commander Montgomery Meigs and withdraw his decision on the appointment of Croatian defence Council (HVO) generals to the commanding posts in the Federation Army. High Representative to BH Carlos Westendorp in October last year decided that all officers from both BH entities, with the rank of a general, have to be approved by the SFOR chief commander before they are appointed to the commanding posts. In line with Jelavic's decision, General Zeljko Siljeg was appointed deputy commander of the Federation Army Joint Command while General Zlatan Mijo Jelic was appointed commander of the First Guards Corps. The SFOR Command has on two occasions requested that Jelavic revoke his decision but since he turned a deaf ear on those calls, SFOR troops on Saturday seized weapons and equipment from several HVO facilities, McClenny said. He added his government believed that all sides in Bosnia had to respect the commitments they had taken over as well as the decisions of international representatives. (hina) rml ,