OHR REJECTS IZETBEGOVIC'S OBJECTIONS TO REORGANISATION OF BH TELEVISION

TELEVISION ( Editorial: --> 9923 ) SARAJEVO, June 9 (Hina) - The Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina has refused objections of the Bosniak side to the content of a Memorandum on Understanding regulating the reorganisation of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Radio and Television (RTV BiH). Rida Attarashani, media advisor with Westendorp's office, told reporters on Tuesday that the OHR could not accept the request by the Bosnian Presidency President Alija Izetbegovic that no international representative be included in the new RTV BiH administrative board. Izetbegovic's advisor on foreign policy Mirza Hajric on Monday opposed the idea of an international supervisor participating in the management of the RTV BiH. Talks on these questions have been going on since last autumn and almost every week we received new objections to our proposals. The issue of supervisor has never been disputable until Hajric made it disputable in his last statement, Attarashani said. On Tuesday Attarashani met with representatives of the RTV BiH Independent Union. In a letter to Izetbegovic, High Representative Westendorp explained that the international supervisor in the RTV BiH would not have as nearly such a role as the person sitting in the Serb Radio-Television in Banja Luka. The supervisor in the RTV BiH would be a link between the RTV BiH and international community and work on securing financial and other forms help, Attarashani said. Unlike Izetbegovic, the Croat member of the Bosnian Presidency, Kresimir Zubak, has taken a very constructive stand towards the reorganisation of the RTV BiH, Westendorp's advisor said. Although the signing of the Memorandum was announced for Tuesday, representatives of the OHR and union representatives from the RTV BiH today failed to sign the document due to an omission in its translation and the need to discuss the accompanying documents. However, the Independent Union has already given full support for the draft Memorandum, agreed on in direct negotiations. It is expected that the document could be signed on Wednesday. The OHR has announced unofficially that Zubak could sign the document as early as Tuesday, at a meting of the administrative board of the Council for Implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords in Luxembourg. It is expected that pressure will be exerted on Izetbegovic to sign the Memorandum because the international community has shown open dislike for his actions in this area. The Memorandum envisages the establishment of a new administrative board by June 12. Should members of the Bosnian Presidency fail to elect members of the new administrative board, Westendorp would do it himself. 8hina) rml 091455 MET jun 98