SERB RADICALS PROHIBITED FROM PARTICIPATING IN ELECTIONS IN BH

SARAJEVO, Oct 25 (Hina) - The Serb Radical Party (SRS) is prohibited from participating in municipal elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the year 2000. The decision was reached by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE passed the decision because the SRS refused to re-register without officials who were replaced due to the violation of the Dayton Agreement, the OSCE Mission in Sarajevo reported Monday. An OSCE temporary electoral commission, authorised to implement and monitor the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, said that the SRS failed to relieve its president Nikola Poplasen from his duty, as well as other two senior officials Ognjen Tadic and Mirko Blagojevic. Poplasen was replaced in March due to the violation of the Dayton Agreement. Also prohibited from participating in the elections is the Serb Party of the Republika Srpska, for its leadership refused to relieved president Predrag Lazarevic from his duty, who violated the Dayton Agreement. The idea of the elimination of the two parties was first presented by the United States Ambassador with the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, during his visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina in September. Holbrooke demanded that, along with the SRS, the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), also be eliminated, for party's first president was a war crime suspect. (hina) it jn