ZUBAK-GELBARD TALKS BROKEN OFF; AMERICAN MEETS FEDERATION HEADS

( Editorial: --> 3009 ) SARAJEVO, March 28 (Hina) - Talks between the special American presidential envoy for the Balkans Robert Gelbard and Bosnian Presidency member Kresimir Zubak on Saturday were broken off after a half-hour meeting in Sarajevo. Zubak announced his meeting with Gelbard was stopped short because of the extremely undiplomatic behaviour of United States President Bill Clinton's envoy. "Discussions were discontinued and this does not have to be hidden from the public. The fact that it happened best talks about the tone which dominated our meeting," Zubak told journalists in the Presidency building after the meeting. The Presidency's Croat member described his meeting with the American diplomat as "the most difficult discussions in my career", but he did not specify which issues were discussed. Gelbard refused to tell journalists anything about the contents of the meeting. Zubak said Gelbard arrived in Sarajevo with a predetermined stance towards the Croatian side. The envoy did not allow the possibility of proper discussion and the meeting was reduced to a monologue. "Everything he said were accusations on the account of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, and he wanted to show how we did not want to establish structures of authority in BH and implement the Dayton agreement, and how we aspired to the division of BH," Zubak said. The Bosnian Croat leader said how the American envoy refused to listen to arguments of the other side and announced how tonight in Zagreb he would "throw everything in the face" of his talks hosts. "It was below every political and diplomatic level or cultural dialogue," Zubak said. The Presidency member said the talks were called off when Gelbard announced that he would "decide where you (Zubak) will live". Zubak said he could not allow this and recalled that he was injured defending Bosnia "while Gelbard did not even know where that country was located". Following the meeting with Zubak, Gelbard met Bosnian Presidency Chairman Alija Izetbegovic but information on the contents of the talks were not available to journalists. At the end of his visit to Sarajevo the special American envoy met the President and Vice-President of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina (FBH), Ejup Ganic and Vladimir Soljic. Following the meeting Ganic told reporters the agenda included key issues in the Croat-Muslim Federation - refugee return, the federal police and all other problems which burdened the current situation. "I emphasised that the return of refugees to the Herzegovina- Neretva and Central Bosnia Cantons was essential and that processes already begun on those plans must be continued," the FBH President said. Ganic believed that the Federation as a main support to peace in Bosnia would in the forthcoming period "gain extra attention by the American side" and be subject to "more comprehensive discussions". Soljic said a preparation meeting would be held next week for the holding of a Federation Forum announced for mid-April. "A meeting with Gelbard is always useful because he without any diplomatic twisting says what he thinks," the FBH Vice-President said. "I only tried to show the real picture of return from the Croat side. "I asked that first the facts be established and then the conclusions made - that the structure of returnees and the reasons why someone is not returning be ascertained," Soljic said mentioning the Sarajevo Canton. It is important to insist on return to those parts of the FBH in which the pre-war national structure has been changed the most and a programme be formed which will repair the situation, the FBH Vice- President said. (Hina) jn mb 281709 MET mar 98