BOSNIA FEDERATION'S PRESIDENT, U.S. DIPLOMAT TOUR STOLAC, DRVAR

STOLAC, July 16 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Croat-Moslem Federation's President Vladimir Soljic, and a U.S. special envoy for implementation of the Dayton accords' part referring to refugees' return, William Montgomerry, on Wednesday toured the Croat-controlled town of Stolac, southern Bosnia, where they held talks with the mayor, Pero Raguz. U.S. diplomat said that in recent months progress had been achieved in the return of Moslems (Bosniaks) to Stolac. The U.S. Administration was giving the support to a pilot-project for the return of refugees, and process of the return in the whole of Bosnia was of the key importance, Montgomerry said. We would use all of our means and influence in order to ensure that this return could function, he added. Montgomerry said that the United States and the international community were preparing projects for economic assistance in refugees' return to Bosnia. In this sense each town would be equally treated, the American added. Soljic said that it was necessary to inform the international community in an objective manner about the situation in the return of refugees to Bosnia. "Croats are the smallest people in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but expelled in the largest percentage from their homes. That's why they have the biggest interest in returning to their homes but under a programme that will not allow the cheating of us in the return," the Bosnian Croat official said. Raguz informed the guests that 16 Moslem families had come back to Stolac so far and had no problems. Speaking of reasons why 100 Moslem families had not returned to the town, which the pilot-project had planned, Raguz said that the return of 35 Moslem families had been planned in the first stage. He claimed that Moslem party had sent families that had not submitted requests for the return. After that Stolac authorities demanded a new list of returnees, but it has not been forwarded to date, according to Raguz. Also on Wednesday, Montgomerry and Soljic visited the southwestern Bosnian town of Drvar. (hina) mš 162051 MET jul 97