BRCKO ARBITRATION COMMISSION HOLDS FIRST MEETING

SARAJEVO, Aug 7 (Hina) - The Brcko arbitration commission held its first meeting on Wednesday under the chairmanship of US diplomat Roberts Owen. "It was a preparatory meeting - we discussed the technical aspects of the arbitration procedure," said Cazim Sadikovic, who sits on the Commission as an advocate for the Federation. Under the Dayton agreement, the Arbitration Commission is to decide whether the town of Brcko in north-eastern Bosnia is to belong to the Federation or the Serb entity. Before the war, Brcko was predominantly populated by Croats and Moslems. So far, Serb representatives in the Commission have refused to even discuss the issue of Brcko itself, insisting that the only thing to be determined by the Commmission is the width of the corridor connecting the eastern and the western part of the Serb entity. But, "the arbitration process will be based not only on the principle of law but also on the principle of equity, as is stipulated by the Dayton Agreement," Sadikovic emphasised. (hina) as 072202 MET aug 96