IFOR WILL NOT ALLOW RESTRICTION OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT DURING 14 S

S $ EPT ELECTIONS SARAJEVO, 29 Aug (Hina) - General Michael Walker, commander of IFOR ground force in Bosnia on Thursday stated that NATO soldiers deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina would take all necessary measures to secure full freedom of movement on 14 September, which is the election day in Bosnia-Herzegovina. IFOR's main goal was to ensure that all citizens go and vote where they wanted to vote and return safely to their homes, Walker said. During the 14 September elections, IFOR would stop some of its activities in order to secure full freedom of movement. IFOR command, international police representatives and officials of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had drafted a proposal of the so-called 'safe roads', which, it was supposed, would be used by most voters while travelling from one entity into the other. However, that did not mean that movement on other parts of the inter-entity boundary would be restricted, Walker said. General safety on the ground was primarily the task of local police forces, but IFOR soldiers would intervene in case major incidents occurred. IFOR would have the authority to isolate groups which caused conflicts or prevented the freedom of movement, as well as to arrest and detain them if necessary. International police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald said that intensive consultations with the heads of local police forces from both entities were underway. Interior ministers of both entities had received regulations on what they had to do in order to secure full freedom of movement. Fitzgerald added that the international police force would have 114 special teams which would supervise the situation on the ground. (hina) rm 291343 MET aug 96