WE SPEED UP IMPLEMENTATION OF DAYTON DEAL - HOLBROOKE

BELGRADE, Aug 9 (Hina) - Implementation of the Dayton agreement was running behind schedule, but in past few days we had accelerated the process, Richard Holbrooke, U.S. diplomat who brokered the Dayton deal in late 1995, said at a news conference in Belgrade on Saturday. Commenting on results of his visit to Split (Croatia), Sarajevo and Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Holbrooke said that great progress was made by agreements reached between Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Bosnian Presidency chairman Alija Izetbegovic in Split as well as by agreements made on Friday's session of the Bosnian Presidency in Sarajevo. Speaking of Saturday's talks with President of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro), Slobodan Milosevic, in which the Bosnian collective Presidency's Serb member, Momcilo Krajisnik, participated, U.S. envoys Holbrooke and Robert Gelbard reiterated that there was no change in the firm, unyielding position of the United States and other international factors that all war crimes suspects must present themselves before the international war criminal tribunal in The Hague. They reached agreement with Krajisnik on the design of Bosnia- Herzegovina's currency. Holbrooke said that the United States had authority to influence the design of the currency, and added that the layout of the Bosnian currency would not include any religious symbol. However, the issues has not been settled completely, as other two members of the Presidency, Izetbegovic and Kresimir Zubak, should be notified of the matter. Holbrooke voiced, in particular, his discontent with violation of last year's agreement under which Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect, Radovan Karadzic, must refrain from public appearances or statements. Holbrooke said that Karadzic failed to fulfil his commitment, and described his interview with a German paper, "Seuddeutsche Zeitung" as another flagrant violation (of the deal). The U.S. envoy said that Milosevic and Krajisnik agreed with him and that Krajisnik pledged to do his utmost in order that the agreement be fully respected. Holbrooke said that one of the results of Saturday's talks in Belgrade was the intention of Milosevic to invite Bosnian Presidency members Izetbegovic, Zubak and Krajisnik to visit the Yugoslav capital. At the news conference Gelbard spoke of Dayton agreement Annex 11 referring to reorganisation of police in Bosnia. He said that the Croat-Moslem Federation made good progress in implementation of that part of the accords, whereas the Serb entity did nothing in this field. He added that Krajisnik pledged to deal with this issue immediately. Gelbard said that the Belgrade talks had revolved round refugees as well and reaffirmed his country's unyielding position that all refugees must return to their places of origin if they wish so. Holbrooke said that they had also discussed the issue of another war crimes suspects, General Ratko Mladic and other officers of the former JNA (Yugoslav Peoples' Army). He said he was not pleased with response of his interlocutors, but he added that he would raise this issue at each meeting with Milosevic, as he had done so far. The two U.S. diplomats told the news conference that they reminded Milosevic of obligations he had as a signatory of the Dayton accords, and stressed that they were expecting his constructive contribution to the implementation of the deal. Asked whether they threatened to impose sanctions against Milosevic, they replied that they threatened nobody. Holbrooke and Gelbard expressed their support to the president of the Bosnian Serb entity, Biljana Plavsic, and added that she said she backed democracy, the Dayton accords and Bosnia-Herzegovina as a single State. (hina) mš 091908 MET aug 97