THOUGH IMPERFECT BH ELECTION WAS FAIR & FREE - U.S. ENVOY

( Editorial: --> 0195 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 14 (Hina) - The just completed general election in Bosnia represents a very important and positive step for the country's future, the United States special envoy for the Balkans Robert Gelbard said in Sarajevo on Sunday. Gelbard headed a special presidential team of observers monitoring the two-day election. There is no perfect electoral process, but it is very clear that this election was fair and free, Gelbard told reporters. He pointed out however that the U.S. delegation was very disturbed at seeing in central Bosnia posters of Dario Kordic and Tihofil Blaskic, two war crimes suspects, and posters of Radovan Karadzic, another war crimes suspect, in the Bosnian Serb entity. I call on the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BH) and the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) to dissociate themselves from such behaviour, Gelbard said. Their failure to do so would greatly concern us and force us to raise serious questions regarding their real political orientation, he stressed. (hina) ha mm 141106 MET sep 98