U.N. ANNOUNCES BEGINNING OF REORGANISATION OF B-H JUDICIARY

( Editorial: --> 8958 ) SARAJEVO, Oct 16 (Hina) - The United Nations Mission in Bosnia- Herzegovina has announced the beginning of a reorganisation programme in the country's judiciary, to be carried out in line with a Security Council resolution adopted in July this year. UN Secretary General's special envoy in Bosnia, Elizabeth Rehn, told reporters on Friday that the restructuring of the judicial system was the logical continuation of a process of democratisation of local police forces and the overall efforts to ensure complete respect for human rights and freedoms. The majority of lawyers in the country are real professionals but they are complaining about being frequently exposed to political pressures coming from different political parties, Rehn told reporters in Sarajevo. The outcome of trials which are being conducted in Bosnia- Herzegovina frequently depends on which ethnic group the judge or the plaintiff or the defendant belongs to, which is unacceptable, she added. A special team, including 18 foreign legal experts, mainly judges with long-standing experience, and another eight lawyers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, will be entrusted with investigating the situation in the judiciary. The team is expected to release their first report within a three- month period and their final assessment will determine the measures to be taken with the aim of changing the current situation. According to Rehn, it was logical to expect that one of the main priorities would be to define a new system of appointing judges, which would secure their independence from the politics. The legal experts who will work under the supervision of the UN Mission are only to assess the situation while legal and other necessary changes will be introduced by the Office of the High Representative (OHR). Eliminating discrimination from the judiciary will be an important contribution to the establishment of a multi-ethnic society in which no minority will feel persecuted, Rehn said. The assessment of the judicial system is expected to cost between three and four million dollars, to be secured from the U.N. budget. (hina) rml 161505 MET oct 98