SHATTUCK CRITICIZES BOSNIAN PARTIES FOR FAILING TO RELEASE POWS

SARAJEVO, Jan 23 (Hina) - The U.S. Secretary of State's aide for human rights, John Shattuck, today expressed hope that the investigation of mass grave sites in Bosnia-Herzegovina would start very soon and called on all sides to respect provisions of the Dayton peace agreement and immediately release all prisoners of war. #L# During his meeting with the Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic in Sarajevo today, Shattuck informed his host about his visit to Srebrenica. After the meeting, Shattuck told reporters he had visited all sites in the Srebrenica area which, according to statements by eyewitnesses, were hiding mass graves. Some of the recent obstacles in the investigation of mass graves could now be removed, Shattuck said and stressed that the Bosnian Serb authorities had not hampered his visit to Srebrenica, which had been supported by the Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The fact that the delegation in charge of investigating human rights situation had been allowed to visit those parts of Bosnia- Herzegovina which were under Bosnian Serb control was an important step forward in the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement, Shattuck said, stressing that The Hague Tribunal would continue its investigation of war crimes. Yesterday's agreement between the IFOR commander Admiral Leighton Smith and the main prosecutor of The Hague War Crimes Tribunal, judge Richard Goldstone, was of great importance for the investigation process, Shattuck said. The U.S. Government was dissatisfied because the three sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina had failed to release their prisoners of war by the January 19 deadline, Shattuck said, adding he had told this to both President Izetbegovic and President Milosevic. President Milosevic had promised that the Bosnian Serbs would unilaterally release all prisoners of war, Shattuck said. (hina) rm jn 231437 MET jan 96