HIGH REP'S OFFICE DESCRIBES TALKS WITH TUDJMAN AS CONSTRUCTIVE

( Editorial: --> 4798 ) SARAJEVO, Aug 20 (Hina) - The office of the international community's leading official in Bosnia-Herzegovina has described Wednesday's talks in Zagreb between Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and High Representative Carlos Westendorp and his deputy Jacques Klein as constructive. The talks included several themes which were currently of importance in the peace process based on the Dayton accords, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) said. OHR spokesman Alexandra Stiglmayer told Hina on Thursday that biggest attention given during the talks was Bosnia's forthcoming elections and coverage given by Croatian Radio Television (HRT). She refused to say whether Westendorp and Klein had presented Tudjman with concrete demands in relation to these issues, as has been speculated in the Sarajevo press. Carrying a Bosnian news agency BH Press article quoting unofficial sources, Sarajevo papers claim that the High Representative and his first deputy had supposedly asked Croatia to maintain impartiality in the current election campaign which is being fought out in Bosnia. They allegedly asked that Croatian state television programmes not carry out an "incoherent election campaign in favour of one or both sides in BH". We would not like to comment on this but as far as the HRT is concerned, our stance is well known, Stiglmayer said. We hold that the HRT is overly favouring the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) and we ask that this broadcaster's programmes be more balanced and to cease influencing the situation in a neighbouring country in the manner used up to now, the OHR spokeswoman said. (Hina) mbr 201526 MET aug 98