IZETBEGOVIC SEEKS BRCKO

VIENNA, Feb 16 (Hina) - Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic, on Tuesday requested that the town of Brcko be handed to the Bosnian Federation, not Republika Srpska. Izetbegovic spoke before an international arbitration commission in charge for solving the status of Brcko. Brcko is a town in the north of Bosnia-Herzegovina which was occupied by Bosnian Serbs during the war to create a corridor between the Bosnian Serb territory and FR Yugoslavia. Most of the population before the war in Brcko were Bosniaks (Moslems). This strategic town is currently under international supervision, while an international arbitration should decide to which entity the town belongs. "The conduct of Serb authorities during and after the war in Brcko and generally in Republika Srpska, shows that authority cannot ensure even the minimum of rights and justice for the non-Serb population," Izetbegovic said. He added the Moslem-Croat Bosnian Federation offered more security to its citizens, as well as better developmental opportunities for Brcko than the Bosnian Serb republic. Representatives of non-government organisations who also testified before the arbitration commission, suggested Brcko should be given a status of district. Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who is to speak before the commission Tuesday afternoon, told reporters he was against Brcko be turned into a district. "If Dayton envisaged a district, it would have introduced it in Sarajevo," he stressed. (hina) lml