MULTI-ETHNIC POLICE IN BRCKO TO BEGIN PATROLING TOMORROW

( Editorial: --> 2076 ) BRCKO, Jan 2 (Hina) - Multi-ethnic police will become operational in Brcko on Saturday. The police consists of 120 Bosnian Serbs, 90 Bosniacs-Moslems and 20 Croats, spokeswoman of the International Police Task Force (IPTF), Kathy Ladun, said on Friday. The police will get 22 vehicles, five computers and other equipment worth US$ 250,000, donations from the Japanese government which is being distributed by the IPTF in Brcko. The multi-ethnic police in Brcko will begin patrolling the area of separation between Republika Srpska and the Bosnian-Federation. Ladun stressed that all 230 multi-ethnic police officers had already been deployed and were performing their duties as of 31 December 1997. Brcko, a town on the right bank of the river Sava, is under control of Bosnian Serbs. Dayton Agreement has envisaged that an arbitration commission is to decide on which entity in Bosnia- Herzegovina the town should belong to one year after the signing of the Agreement. The arbitration commission has, however, postponed the deadline for another year, and appointed an international community supervisor for this north Bosnian town. (hina) lm mm 021603 MET jan 98