IZETBEGOVIC: ACCUSATIONS ABOUT CORRUPTION IN STATE LEADERSHIP WILL

WILL $ BE CHECKED SARAJEVO, 28 July (Hina) - The President of the Bosnian Presidency Alija Izetbegovic on Monday stated that the accusations about corruption in the + Bosnian state leadership had been carefully investigated. Should those accusations be proven correct, those responsible for acts of corruption will be arrested and handed over to the court, Izetbegovic said. #L# Answering to the accusations by the British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook that a large portion of money intended for the reconstruction of the country had + ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials and on bank accounts of various suspicious + companies, Izetbegovic said that he had decided to establish a special commission which + would check whether such statements were true. 'I would like the commission to be mixed and to include international representatives who were involved in providing international assistance to + Bosnia- Herzegovina in one way or another,' Izetbegovic said. 'That is why I have sent a letter today to the World Bank, the Office of the + High Representative and the head of the European Union Mission in Sarajevo with the request to appoint one member each to the commission,' Izetbegovic said. The commission would have the right to demand and get all relevant data or documents from any official in the Bosnian authorities, regardless of his + position and function, Izetbegovic said. He added that he would discuss the problem with the British Foreign Secretary Cook, who is to arrive in Sarajevo tonight. In case the accusations are not + proven correct, those who are responsible for spreading false information will have to+ bear the consequences, Izetbegovic said. 'We will demand that foreign citizens who are spreading lies about the Bosnian government immediately leave the country. We have evidence that some of them + have been doing it consistently for a long time,' Izetbegovic said. (hina) rm 281830 MET jul 97