BOSNIAN FEDERATION ARMY GETS JOINT INSIGNIA

( Editorial: --> 9641 ) SARAJEVO, Feb 5 (Hina) - The army of the Bosnian Federation has joint insignia as of Thursday. It should be adorning soldiers' uniforms soon. This new military insignia chosen after a public competition was presented to the public at a news conference in Sarajevo on Thursday. They consist of two black concentric circles with lettering "Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina" and "Federation Army", with the Federal coat-of-arms with two swords in the middle. The Defence Ministry's coat-of-arms will bear similar insignia, except that the background will be blue, not black. According to Nazif Borovin of the Ministry's Information Department, these symbols had been chosen because they were clear and simple and they were a combination of modern insignia and the historical and cultural tradition of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Representatives of the Bosnian Federation Army Verification Centre on Thursday presented information about the fulfilment of obligations from the Agreement on Arms Restriction and Control in the region of former Yugoslavia. The Federal side had in the implementation of this agreement hitherto fully respected the agreed restrictions, Ilija Vicentic and Ramiz Bejic said. As part of the second phase of the arms restriction which ended last October, the Bosnian Federation armed forces destroyed 2,345 different cannons and rocket launchers. The Federation side has had the opportunity to purchase all other sorts of weapons. Through the "Equip and Train" programme, it purchased tanks, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters, but the established restrictions have been respected throughout. (hina) lm mm 051416 MET feb 98