PEACE IMPLEMENTATION COUNCIL GIVES WIDER AUTHORITY TO WESTENDORP

( Editorial: --> 7357 ) BONN, Dec 10 (Hina) - The Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia on Wednesday granted international High Representative for Bosnia greater authority and set strict deadlines for the implementation of parts of the Dayton peace agreement. The Council today closed a two-day conference with a final document which authorises Carlos Westendorp to pass binding decisions with the aim to stop the stalling in and obstructions of the implementation of the Dayton agreement. The High Representative will in the future be able to decide when and where joint Bosnian institutions will hold sessions and who will preside over them. He will also have authority to pass temporary decisions when the parties are unable to reach an agreement concerning specific issues. Westendorp will also be able to pass other decisions in order to ensure the implementation of the peace agreement, and initiate actions against officials who boycott the functioning of institutions or who in any other way breach the provisions of the peace agreement. The three members of the Bosnian Presidency, Alija Izetbegovic, Kresimir Zubak and Momcilo Krajisnik, yesterday gave written guarantees that the Bosnian parliamentary assembly would pass laws on citizenship and a passport and a law on the Bosnian Council of Ministers. The above is only the minimum of joint Bosnian institutions to be established upon which the Peace Implementation Council insisted. The conference's final document envisages strict and short-term deadlines concerning the remaining commitments from the Dayton agreement. The Peace Implementation Council supported the international community's military presence in Bosnia, under NATO, even after the expiry of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force mandate in June 1998. (hina) ha jn 101723 MET dec 97