TRILATERAL TALKS END IN ANKARA

ANKARA, May 27 (Hina) - Trilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey ended in Ankara on Monday. Croatian, Bosnia-Herzegovina's and Turk foreign ministers, Mate Granic, Jadranko Prlic and Emre Gonensay respectively, held talks on political and economic issues for the establishment of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, the application of the Dayton agreements and the expansion of Euro-Atlantic institutions. Turkey supported the mutual recognition of the former Yugoslavia's successor states, while Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina rejected any new associations and integrations in the region. The three countries agreed that the Dayton agreements could not be fully implemented without properly organized democratic elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, elections which should be supervised by the international community and scheduled in time. The ministers also said that democratic elections could not be ensured as long as Karadzic and Mladic were on the political scene in Republika Srpska. The three countries supported the Mostar elections, and Turkey said it was willing to help in their scheduling, among else because it was opening its general consulate in that town. In accordance with the Dayton agreements, Turkey confirmed its willingness to train members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Army and commissioned officers of the Croatian Defense Council in close cooperation with the United States. The ministers also said that the joint action of Turk, Croatian and Bosnian police in taking care of Muslim refugees in Cazin, northwestern Bosnia, and Kupljensko, Croatia, was excellent. The three countries will soon establish a new embassy mission of good will which will soon visit four Bosnian towns, Vares, Stolac, Travnik and Bugojno, where local authorities have still not been established. As far as the establishment of federal bodies necessary for the Federation was concerned, the three ministers said that at its next session, the federal assembly should adopt acts on privatization, transformation of ownership, a privatization agency and a bank and tax system. The three countries confirmed their interest in the establishment of a ferry line between Ploce, Croatia, and Mersina, Turkey. The ministers also supported the reconstruction of the railway line Ploce-Sarajevo, as well as the idea for a Croatian- Bosnian-Turk bank, where financial help from Turkey would be based, with capital support from other countries. The foreign ministers agreed on a meeting of the presidents of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey in occasion of the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After the talks the foreign ministers held a press conference. Emre Gonensay told reporters that such meetings would take place in the future and announced a final solution to economic relations between the three countries. The progress in the establishment of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was most evident after the recent series of meetings in Bonn, Washington, Sarajevo and Zagreb, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters, adding that today's meeting was very constructive and announced that the seventh meeting would be held in Zagreb. Bosnia-Herzegovina's Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic said that the military part of the implementation of the Dayton agreements had been successful. "We are not fully satisfied with the implementation of the civil part, but we think that now is the right time for a step forward, because in the following days the Federation's assembly should provide a legal framework for the establishment of the most important state functions: the army, the police and the financial field", Prlic said, thanking Turkey for taking part in the peace process. (hina) ha mm 271806 MET may 96