GARROD ANTICIPATES SUCCESS OF MOSTAR AGREEMENT

MOSTAR, June 10 (Hina) - International organisations' representatives held a news conference on Tuesday in Mostar to speak of agreements on Mostar, establishment of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton police, the return of refugees and incidents that happened in Stolac and Drvar last week. Martin Garrod, the head of the international High Representative's branch office in Mostar, said that an agreement on Mostar had a great chance of success. Under the agreement, until June 14, amendments should be passed to Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Constitution, and between 16 June - 5 July the Canton police should be set up, the temporary seat of which will be in the central town zone. A spokeswoman for the UN office in Mostar, Kelly Moore, informed the conference of last week's incidents in Stolac and Drvar. She said that in Stolac two Moslems (Bosniaks) and two workers who took part in reconstruction of houses, were threatened and two Moslem- owned houses, which were not covered by a pilot-project of the return to this town, were burnt down. She also said that local police had done their job professionally and detained a suspect of arson. Moore voiced satisfaction that two Croat policemen in Drvar, suspected of beating one Serb and of negligence in a probe into the burning of 25 houses in that town, were dismissed. The head of Mostar's UNHCR office, Neil Wright, told the conference that 25 municipalities in the (Croat-Moslem) Federation had expressed their readiness to participate in an 'open towns' project that anticipates the return of minority residents to their homes. The international community is intending to ensure financial assistance for such municipalities. He added that U.S. Administration had shown special interest in those municipalities, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pledged the support, worth U.S.$ five million, to 'open towns' projects. (hina) jn mš 101736 MET jun 97