YUGOSLAVIA DENIES OTHER SUCCESSOR STATES ACCESS TO ARCHIVES

BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Hina) - A two-day meeting of successor states to the former Yugoslavia on access to the archives of the former federation ended in Brussels+ on Tuesday without producing an agreement. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, refused the other former Yugoslav republics access to the federal archives in Belgrade + that would enable further work on resolving the succession issues. At the meeting chaired by international mediator Sir Arthur Watts, the FRY + rejected all proposals by the delegations of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and + Slovenia. These four countries take a firm position that all members of the former + Yugoslav federation have equal rights in the succession process. The FRY stuck to its view that only after a final agreement on succession was concluded would it hand over to the other successor states copies of files + required by thei administrations. The four countries on the one side and the FRY on the other also failed to + determine criteria for defining the assets of the former state in the area of former + Yugoslavia and abroad. Watts announced that he would make a new draft on the archives which he would present to all the successor states. He stressed that in the future he would + not tolerate endless discussions without concrete agreements. (hina) vm jn 182301 MET feb 97