SFOR COMMANDER DISPUTES HDZ BIH PRESIDENT'S CLAIMS

( Editorial: --> 8264 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 5 (Hina) - The commander of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina has disputed claims that the Bosnian Presidency's Croat member Kresimir Zubak did not have the authority to remove a Bosnian Croat general from his post. American general Eric Shinseki on Friday sent a letter to Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) president and Bosnian Federation Defence Minister Ante Jelavic, responding to the party's negative reaction to Zubak dismissing General Stanko Sopta as commander of the Federation Army's First Guards Corp last Sunday. The Sarajevo daily "Oslobodjenje" has obtained a copy of Shinseki's letter to Jelavic and claimed in its Saturday edition that the Defence Minister had already been warned earlier by Shinseki and NATO's European commander General Wesley Clark that they possessed reports about the "inappropriate behaviour" of the Federation Army general. The letter is believed to claim that Jelavic at the time had suggested Zubak be informed of the matter as the authorised person for appointing and dismissing generals from the ranks of the Croat people in Bosnia. "Given that according to your recommendation Zubak as the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina had appointed General Sopta to the post, then he has the power to remove that appointment and carry out an investigation," the Sarajevo newspaper quoted the letter as saying. General Shinseki said the case of General Sopta was closed because it had been confirmed that he was responsible for a whole series of violations. The most serious of these was his non-attendance at the last three meetings of the mixed military commission, the illegal political activities of First Guards Corp members and the illegal movement of a battalion from this unit across Bosnia's borders on August 15. This unit arrived in the Republic of Croatia 10 days after fires broke out, i.e. once they were largely under control, which makes your rhetoric about helping Croatia in a humanitarian sense irrelevant, deceptive and leaves the impression it was made for election purposes, Shinseki wrote. The SFOR commander warned Jelavic that his actions were of concern, especially the claim that he personally ordered the unit's crossing of the border. "If this is correct, then it is a very serious admission of guilt. I am not sure what the political repercussions could be in relation to the elections, so I am obligated to seek a ruling from the OSCE mission head Robert Barry," the letter is believed to have said. At the end of his letter Shinseki emphasised that, despite receiving assurances, SFOR continued to receive reports on generals and members of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) participating in political activities and investigations would be carried out. (Hina) mbr 051259 MET sep 98