HOLBROOKE-GELBARD STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER SPLIT MEETINGS

SPLIT, Aug 6 (Hina) - U.S. diplomats Robert Gelbard and Richard Holbrooke, on Wednesday described the Split joint statement of Croatian President Tudjman and Bosnian Presidency chairman Izetbegovic as a significant contribution to the implementation of the Dayton and Washington agreements, and in their special statement the two Americans stressed that Tudjman and Izetbegovic assumed concrete obligations in connection with the timetable for the strengthening of ties and resolution of open questions in the Croat-Moslem relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the relations among Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian Croat-Moslem Federation. Following eight hours of meetings with Presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic, and other officials of Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina and the Bosnian Federation, Gelbard, who is U.S. President Clinton's special envoy in charge of implementation of the Dayton accords, and Holbrooke, who brokered that agreement in 1995, issued their statement in Split. "The Presidents (Tudjman and Izetbegovic) briefed us on the results of their meeting and their joint announcement earlier today. We applaud this agreement. It constitutes a significant contribution to the implementation of the Dayton and Washington agreements, as well as of the Sintra Declaration principles. Of particular importance is the stated readiness of the two Presidents to accelerate the implementation of the peace agreements in order to establish functioning democratic institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and preserve the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina," the U.S. diplomats said in the statement. "We consider the establishment of the Cooperation Council between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as of the Cooperation Council to regulate special relations between Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the peace agreements, to be particularly useful. We reaffirmed the readiness of the United States to provide assistance in the resolution of all open issues in the Federation in the spirit of the Joint Statement of the two Presidents, through the institutions of the Federation and within the framework of the Cooperation Councils," the Holbrooke-Gelbard statement said. "In this regard, the two Presidents agreed with us on the following positions and specific steps they will take: Return of Refugees and Displaced Persons 1. The Presidents condemned recent violence in Jajce and Vogosca directed against returning residents. The Presidents support the agreement between the President and Vice President of the Federation on Jajce and urge its full implementation. They agreed to investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible and to remove any local officials found to have encouraged or tolerated violence. Investigations will be completed by August 11 and conditions created so that those expelled from Jajce can return by August 17 as agreed with the office of the High Representative. 2. The Presidents reaffirmed that all refugees and displaced persons have the right, on a voluntary basis, to return to their homes of origin and have the right to have property restored as provided under Annex 7 of the Dayton agreements. They agreed to ensure that property legislation in the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina is in conformity with this obligation by September 30. War Criminals 3. Presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic recognised their obligation to cooperate with International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). President Tudjman will do his utmost to effect the transfer or voluntary surrender of Croat indictees currently at large to the Tribunal on an urgent basis. Croatia will also cooperate in providing documents requested by the ICTY. 4. In regard to the failure to meet the Sintra deadlines: - President Izetbegovic will deliver Bosniac (Muslim) signature to the EBRD telecommunication plan by August 8. - Presidents Izetbegovic and Zubak (a Croat member of the Bosnian collective Presidency) will resolve differences over the Federation allocation of ambassadorship by August 11. - They will ensure no objection from the Bosniac or Bosnian Croat side to the proposals which have been made by the Office of the High Representative for resolving civil aviation and passport and immigration disputes by August 31. Strengthening the Federation 5. The Presidents agreed to support the agreements in the Federation to accelerate restructuring of police throughout the Federation and to implement fully agreements on the Neretva Canton and the Middle Bosnia Canton. International Police Task Force (IPTF) would monitor progress. President Izetbegovic and President Zubak agreed that BAID (Bosnian Agency for Investigations and Documentation) would be restructured and renamed within 60 days in accordance with the Dayton Accords and the Federation Constitution with the assistance of highly- qualified American experts. Border Issues 6. The Presidents agreed to establish border controls along normal international standards. The Government of Croatia and the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina will establish normal international border controls on the borders between the two countries. On the international borders between Croatia and the portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Federation, these border controls will be put in place no later than August 31. This will include signs clearly demarcating international border crossings. 7. President Tudjman agreed to take the action necessary on the Croatian side to open additional border crossings at Gradiska, Brod and Samac by September 15. Economic Cooperation 8. The Presidents noted the importance of the port of Ploce to the Federation and to Croatia and agreed on the need to maintain special arrangements in accordance with the Washington Agreement. They accepted our offer that an Experts Group, to be headed by a highly-qualified American expert on ports, will propose terms of a new Ploce and Neum transit agreement by September 30. 9. A Task Force, also headed by an American, will be established to resolve border issues, including in the Una-Sana canton, and address future use of the Bihac airfield. Regular Meetings 10. The two Presidents also agreed that the Cooperation Council would meet at the presidential level at least three times a year," read the Holbrooke-Gelbard statement at the end, copies of which were handed out to reporters. Addressing reporters in the Croatian port town, Gelbard and Holbrooke said that the spirit of the Split talks was extremely positive. The key word was implementation. Agreements must be implemented, Gelbard said. If they failed to carry out them, punitive measures would ensue, he added, while Holbrooke made clear that they would include the denial of economic assistance and cooperation. Asked whether there were deadlines for extradition of war crimes suspects to the Hague Tribunal, Gelbard answered that there were no deadlines, but his country expected that the sides would act quickly. Holbrooke stressed that the return of refugees was a condition for the implementation of the Dayton accords, as failure to carry out the agreement's provisions referring to the return would mean that the division of Bosnia-Herzegovina was de facto accepted. Commenting on the implementation of the Dayton accords so far, he said the situation was better than it had been, but it was not like it should be. Holbrooke added that Tudjman and Izetbegovic had been told that the implementation of the Dayton accords was running behind schedule, but some progress had been made. He said that it was Bosnian Serbs who mostly obstructed the implementation of that agreement. He added that the fact that the United States insisted, in particular, on cooperation between Croat and Moslem sides did not mean that there was no pressure on the Serb side. (hina) mš 070000 MET aug 97