WESTENDORP WELCOMES & GANIC DISSATISFIED WITH DECISION ON BRCKO

( Editorial: --> 9826 ) SARAJEVO, March 15 (Hina) - The High Representative for the implementation of the Dayton agreement, Carlos Westendorp, on Sunday welcomed the decision on the status of the north-eastern Bosnian town of Brcko, adopted today by a commission headed by international arbiter Roberts Owen. According to that decision, the final decision on the status of Brcko has been postponed until the end of this year. Announcing the decision of the Arbitration Tribunal in Sarajevo, Carlos Westendorp said he strongly believed that the form of the decision was in the best interest of people from Brcko as well as in the interest of full implementation of the Dayton agreement. Addressing reporters after Westendorp's press conference, the President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ejup Ganic, expressed regret over the delay of the final decision on Brcko. "This is also the postponement of justice for Brcko and we regret that fact," said Ganic describing the decision as a political and not a legal one. The decision was contrary to what the Federation side sought and advocated, Ganic said. Should the current situation in Brcko continue, it could lead to instability in the whole region and slow down the implementation of the peace agreement, said Ganic. The only positive thing in the decision was that it did not reward those who committed the genocide, he added. (hina) rm 151900 MET mar 98