ZAGREB, Jan 9 (Hina) - The Croatian President Franjo Tudjman tonight received the chief commander of the international Implementation Force (IFOR), Admiral Leighton Smith, who was accompanied by political advisor Peter Feith,
secretary Captain Howard Petre and the chief NATO liaison officer, Master-Brigadier David Wilby, a statement from the Presidential Office said.
ZAGREB, Jan 9 (Hina) - The Croatian President Franjo Tudjman
tonight received the chief commander of the international
Implementation Force (IFOR), Admiral Leighton Smith, who was
accompanied by political advisor Peter Feith, secretary Captain
Howard Petre and the chief NATO liaison officer, Master-Brigadier
David Wilby, a statement from the Presidential Office said. #L#
The meeting tackled the progress of the deployment of IFOR
forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in that regard the cooperation
between IFOR and Croatia's armed forces, as well as the
implementation of the Dayton peace deal and the composition of the
forces in charge of the reintegration of eastern Slavonia, Baranja
and western Srijem into Croatia's constitutional and legal order.
Admiral Smith expressed satisfaction at a speedy and
successful deployment of IFOR forces and thanked President Tudjman
for the hospitality and support the Croatian state authority was
giving IFOR in that process. Smith further stressed the symbolic
and concrete importance of the success of the implementation of the
peace deal in Sarajevo and Mostar, which, he said, would
undoubtedly influence the whole peace process. It was therefore
important to secure speedy and effective establishment of the
Croat-Bosniac Federation, Admiral Smith said.
Individual incidents and obstacles in the implementation of
the peace agreement should be expected, President Tudjman said,
expressing full support of the Croatian state authority for the
implementation force and his belief that IFOR would not have more
serious difficulties in carrying out their tasks.
Both Admiral Smith and President Tudjman stressed the
importance of the Basic Agreement on the reintegration of the
Croatian Danube valley, adding that its speedy and successful
implementation would have a positive impact on the peace process as
a whole.
Today's talks were also attended by the head of the
Presidential Office, Ivo Sanader, Defence Minister Gojko Susak, the
Croatian army Chief-Of-Staff, General Zvonimir Cervenko, the head
of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), Miroslav Tudjman, and
President Tudjman's aide-de-camp Kresimir Kaspar.
(hina) rm
092247 MET jan 96