BOSNIAN SERB FACTIONS WARNED TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT

SARAJEVO, Aug 22 (Hina) - The Office of the international High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina and the NATO-led peace Stabilisation Force (SFOR) warned Bosnian Serb authorities on Friday that they must resolve the current political crisis in a democratic way. A statement, signed by Deputy High Representative Gerd Wagner and SFOR Commander General Eric Shinseki, stressed dissatisfaction with the actions of Serb authorities which resulted in deterioration in the overall security situation, particularly in the Banja Luka area. This was the first time that international organisations had equally blamed both factions in the Serb entity for escalating the crisis because Serb President Biljana Plavsic had so far enjoyed their full support. In their message to Serb hardliners in Pale, outside Sarajevo, and Plavsic followers in Banja Luka, Wagner and Shinseki warned that they would allow neither faction to use force, that they would not tolerate the use of media for inciting violence and that they would insist on political and democratic means to resolve the misunderstandings. (hina) vm jn 221502 MET aug 97