U.S. DEFENCE SECRETARY PLEASED WITH BOSNIA LOCAL ELECTIONS

TUZLA, Oct 4 (Hina) - The U.S. Defence Secretary, William Cohen, who is on his European trip, made a stopover in Tuzla, north-eastern Bosnia, on Saturday. At the Tuzla airport where the headquarters of American SFOR troops are, he held talks with the NATO-led SFOR forces' Sector North commanders and dined with U.S. soldiers. At a news conference Cohen voiced satisfaction with the professional approach of the multinational SFOR division to its tasks and with cooperation between American and Russian troops. He added that the cooperation between American and Russian SFOR forces was exceptionally synchronised in a recent SFOR operation of seizure of Bosnian Serb transmitters. He was also satisfied with September local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina which he described as successful. The U.S. official pointed to the obligation of SFOR to help implement all provisions of the Dayton accords by the end of June next year, but could not say whether the NATO mission in the country would continue after that deadline. He said that no decision had been made yet by the NATO on whether Stabilisation Force would be replaced by other peace force with different mandate next summer. What was certain at the moment was that SFOR would be engaged in Bosnia until 28 June next year and that the international community, insisting on the maintenance of peace, must implement the peace agreement until that deadline, he explained. He told reports that after the successful municipal elections in Bosnia the international community should help create free and independent media in the country. Speaking of the arrest of war criminals, Cohen reiterated that it was a task of the international community which must be performed till the SFOR pull-out. He said he believed that war criminals would be soon brought to justice. (hina) mš 042052 MET oct 97