BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY HOLDS TALKS WITH BOSNIAN OFFICIALS

OFFICIALS $ SARAJEVO, July 29 (Hina) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who arrived in Sarajevo on Monday evening for a two-day visit to Bosnia- Herzegovina, began official talks on Tuesday with representatives of the leading opposition parties. Cook held talks Tuesday behind closed doors with representatives of the Social Democratic Party, Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina Social Democrats, Croat Peasants' Party and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, after which he opened the new building of the British Embassy in Sarajevo. #L# Cook also met the Serb member of the Bosnian Presidency, Momcilo Krajisnik, who did not come to Sarajevo, but Cook had to go to Lukavica (outskirts of Sarajevo) where the third session of the Bosnian Presidency usually takes place. Cook held separate meetings with the Croat member of the Bosnian Presidency, Kresimir Zubak, and chairman of the Presidency, Alija Izetbegovic, in Sarajevo. He announced talks with members of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The British Foreign Secretary is expected to convey the results of his talks in Sarajevo at a news conference announced for Tuesday afternoon, after which he is to travel to Tuzla for talks with the town's mayor, Selim Beslagic. Cook will also hold talks with the President of Republika Srpska, Biljana Plavsic, in Banja Luka. The Sarajevo media had paid special attention to Cook's warnings that the money set aside for the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina was being irrationally spent, and that it ended up in the accounts of suspicious companies or corrupt politicians, expecting this issue to be the focus of his talks with the country's highest officials. (hina) lm 291301 MET jul 97