VIENNA CONFERENCE SUPPORTS ROME DECISION ON BRCKO - GRANIC

VIENNA, March 7 (Hina) - All participants in the conference on the northern Bosnian town of Brcko, which began in Vienna on Friday, have supported the decision made by the arbitration commission last month in Rome, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said in Vienna on Friday. In Rome, The Brcko arbitration commission headed by US arbitrator Roberts Owen postponed a final decision on the status of the Sava river town for another year. It was agreed then that until the final decision was made, a supervisor would be sent to Brcko to oversee the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement in the area and ensure the strengthening of local democratic institutions and the creation of condition for the return of refugees. US diplomat Robert Ferran was appointed as supervisor at the conference in Vienna on Friday. The conference was attended by representatives of signatories states to the Dayton peace agreement, the big-power Contact Group, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the UN High Commission for Refugees, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the NATO-led Stabilization Force and the World Bank. Granic said that Croatia was requested to sign an agreement on border crossings with Bosnia-Herzegovina. During the day, Granic met Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel, US Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic. Granic said that he had won assurances from Milutinovic that Yugoslavia fully supported the process of peaceful reintegration of the UN-administered Danube region into Croatia. Granic and Milutinovic also discussed the continuation of work on several agreements, on which they had reached agreement during their recent talks in Belgrade. Granic said that expert groups were working on those agreements and that the documents were expected to be ready for signing soon. (hina) vm 071849 MET mar 97