NEW BH COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ELECTED

SARAJEVO, Feb 4 (Hina) - The Bosnia-Herzegovina Parliament House of Representatives on Thursday elected members of the Council of Ministers, thus completing the process of constituting the executive and legislative authorities in line with the September 1998 election results. At today's session in Sarajevo, the House of Representatives accepted the new composition of the Council of Ministers, proposed by Haris Silajdzic and Svetozar Mihajlovic, the Council co- chairmen who were elected yesterday. Neven Tomic of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) was re-elected Silajdzic's and Mihajlovic's deputy for the next two years and Jadranko Prlic kept the office of Foreign Minister. Mirsad Kurtovic will remain at the head of the Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Ministry, which in the internal distribution of offices belongs to the Bosniak side, although the Sarajevo press close to the ruling Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA) had speculated that he would be replaced. The Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications will in the next two years be led by the "Sloga" coalition candidate Marko Asanin who replaced Spasoje Albijanic, a hard-liner close to the Serb Democratic Party (SDS). This structure of the Council of Ministers should function until April when the response of interested parties on the reorganisation of the Council is expected. There are certain ideas that the number of Council ministries should be increased from the present three to six. It is also proposed that an office of a single Council chairman be introduced and be filled interchangeably by representatives of the three constituent peoples. (hina) mm rml