GERMAN & FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTERS VISIT SARAJEVO

( Editorial: --> 5976 ) SARAJEVO, 4 Dec (Hina) - The German and French Foreign Ministers, Klaus Kinkel and Hubert Vedrine respectively, have asked the highest officials of Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet key requirements of the High Representative concerning the implementation of the Dayton agreement. Speaking at a joint press conference in Sarajevo following their meeting with Bosnian Presidency members Alija Izetbegovic, Kresimir Zubak and Momcilo Krajisnik on Thursday, Kinkel and Vedrine said they asked the Presidency members to harmonise the regulations of laws on citizenship, passports, flag and the new currency before the meeting of the Council for the Implementation of the Dayton agreement takes place in Bonn on 9 and 10 December. The international community stands behind its decision on making any kind of help conditional upon the fulfillment of obligations from the Dayton agreement, Kinkel said. Kinkel and Vedrine announced that the forthcoming meeting in Bonn would extend the powers of High Representative Carlos Westendorp, who will then make necessary decisions instead of the Bosnian parties. Vedrine, who visited Bosnia-Herzegovina for the first time, said that the parties in Bosnia had to give the international community a clear signal that they were ready to meet their commitments. That, he said, also referred to the arrest of war criminals. Vedrine and Kinkel stressed that there was no doubt that it was necessary for international military forces to remain in Bosnia after the expiry of the current mandate of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR). In that regard, it was necessary to get an explicit answer from Washington, said the French Foreign Minister. Kinkel warned that Germany was impatient at the slow return of Bosnian refugees. I call on President Tudjman to allow the return of Croatian Serbs so that they could free the space in Republika Srpska and enable the return of additional numbers of refugees, Kinkel said. (hina) mm rm , 041834 MET dec 97