SFOR PRESENCE IN BOSNIA STILL OF CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE - GELBARD

( Editorial: --> 9128 ) ZAGREB, June 5 (Hina) - Robert Gelbard, special representative of the US President Bill Clinton for implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 4 that the presence of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia- Herzegovina remained to be of critical importance. SFOR has provided critical support in the implementation of the Dayton accords and its premature withdrawal could stop that positive development, Gelbard said. Gelbard said that he did not believe the US forces should be nation- building, but the situation in the country, in light of the crisis in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, could again lead to war. "We, like all of our NATO allies, not only want these troops out of Bosnia and home, we want them to be able to point with pride to their enduring contribution to peace, stability and ultimately, the process of democratisation in Eastern Europe," Gelbard said. For the past several months, the United States has increased pressure on leaders in the Federation in order to prevent conflicts between them and make them fulfil more of their obligations. The decision to suspend the "Equip and Train" programme, made on Thursday, is a response to the behaviour of Bosnian Croats who are still "largely controlled by a group of extremists", Gelbard said. The programme is designed to support a unified Federation Army, not two ethnic armies, he added. Speaking about the crisis in Kosovo, Gelbard stressed it was a threat to regional stability. "We have been adamant in all our dealings with the Dayton signatories, especially the Yugoslav President Milosevic, that the gains of the peace agreement must not be put at risk by developments in Kosovo or attempts at political manipulation by Belgrade," he said. The dialogue between President Milosevic and the leader of Kosovo Albanians, Ibrahim Rugova, is "extremely fragile", said Gelbard. "The dialogue will be successful only if Belgrade cooperates in taking immediate and concrete steps to stop violence, to reduce tensions, and at the same time acts to intensify the pace and seriousness of the talks". Secretary Albright has made clear that if the dialogue fails to produce results and violence continues, suspended sanctions.... can be quickly reinstated," Gelbard said. (hina) rml 051343 MET jun 98