MUSLIMS DEMAND OF CRO PRESIDENT TO ABOLISH HERZEG BOSNIA

ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Bosnian Federation Vice-President Ejup Ganic on Wednesday demanded of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman that the Croatian Republic of Herzeg Bosnia be abolished by urgent procedure and that its functions be integrated into federal organs. As a Muslim representative in the Bosnian Federation, Ganic requested a meeting with Tudjman on Wednesday. After the meeting he told reporters at the Bosnian Embassy in Zagreb that he had asked for the abolition of Herzeg Bosnia. Ganic gave Tudjman a concrete proposal as to how it should be done within five or six days by urgent procedure. According to the plan, offices and bodies of the so called Herzeg Bosnia should be absorbed by Bosnian Federation ministries and the Federation's government should be the only government on the Federation's territory, in keeping with its competencies. Ganic said that, as federal partners, the Muslims "fulfilled all obligations in accordance with the Dayton agreement and that the future existence of Herzeg Bosnia jeopardizes the Dayton agreement, the peace in the region and causes unnatural relations between Bosniacs and Muslims which are basically good, friendly and perspective". Ganic said that all functions of the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina, which according to the Dayton agreement should pass to the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, had already been transferred. As regards the Croatian President's answer, Ganic said that Tudjman took note of the Muslim demand, but "unfortunately" gave no promise that he would accept the proposal. Ganic said that during the "direct and open talk" he warned Tudjman that Muslims would inform the international community of the problems in the Federation and that there existed an idea to freeze meetings of the Council for Cooperation Between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina until Herzeg Bosnia was abolished. U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith held a separate press conference at which he said that he and his counterpart to Bosnia, John Menzies, attended the Croatian-Muslim meeting in Zagreb "by order of U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher in order to stress U.S. advocating for the solution of the problems of the Bosnian Federation and the situation in Mostar". Galbraith said that the U.S. strongly advocated that current problems in the Federation be solved on the basis of the Washington, Dayton and all subsequent agreements, which meant that authority in the Federation had to be divided. He added that it was necessary to transfer authority which had to be transferred from the Republic to the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, whereas Herzeg Bosnia and its institutions must be dissolved, while its functions, according to the Dayton agreement, must be taken on by the Federation, the cantons and municipalities. 311540 MET jul 96