MOSTAR MAYOR AND DEPUTY MEET TOWN OFFICIALS

MOSTAR, Aug 14 (Hina) - Mostar mayor Ivan Prskalo and his deputy Safet Orucevic on Thursday met for the first time with the newly- elected heads and deputy heads of Mostar's six municipalities to discuss current problems in the town. The meeting was also attended by the head of the regional office of the international High Representative to Bosnia- Herzegovina, Martin Garrod. Three heads of municipality are Croats while the other three are Moslems. Prskalo told reporters that the talks focused on the return of refugees and displaced persons, organisation of the municipalities, cooperation of the heads and deputy heads of municipalities and the union of Croat-dominated municipalities. Prskalo noted that "this meeting has shown that the Croats do not deny the existence of the six town districts" and that they were abiding by the Dayton peace accords. Speaking of the union of Croat municipalities, he said that "the Croat side did what it had the right to do under the Dayton Agreement and the Statute of Mostar." Prskalo said that none of the three Moslem heads of municipality had invited to meetings Croat deputy heads of municipality or Croat councillors in those municipalities. Orucevic said that he called on the Moslem officials to improve the cooperation with the Croats so that the municipal councils could begin functioning. Orucevic stressed that the Moslem side did not accept the union of Croat municipalities as neither did the international community. Garrod said he was encouraged by the atmosphere of today's meeting. Garrod noted that article 54 of the Town Statute provided for cooperation of the municipalities but that it did not envisage the foundation of a union of municipalities. He supported the procedure for the return of displaced persons to the Mostar area, which was announced last week by the Moslem side with the approval of the UNHCR. Prskalo reiterated that he "did not give consent for that procedure," rejecting any unilateral projects of the return of refugees and supporting the return of all. Prskalo recalled that a large number of displaced Croats from Central Bosnia were currently accommodated in Mostar. (hina) vm jn 141755 MET aug 97