GARROD MEETS MOSTAR MAYOR, DEPUTY MAYOR

MOSTAR, 12 Sept (Hina) - Martin Garrod, special representative of the EU Administration in Mostar on Thursday met Mostar Mayor Ivica Prskalo and his deputy Safet Orucevic. The three officials agreed that certain measures should be taken immediately in order to lessen the tensions in the suburb of Podhum, said Dragan Gasic, spokesman for EU Administration in Mostar. #L# A group of Muslims from eastern Mostar arrived yesterday in the Croat-controlled suburb of Podhum to allegedly repair their houses. They are still in Podhum and the local Croat police claim that the Muslims had never had houses in Podhum. It had been agreed at today's meeting that talks be held with the Muslims and that they be persuaded to return to eastern Mostar, Gasic said. Mayor Prskalo had promised that the houses in the contested suburb, once the Muslims had left it, would not be damaged, Gasic said. EU Administration in Mostar was regularly contacting IFOR as well as Sarajevo and Zagreb authorities, the EU Presidency in Ireland and the international peace coordinator in Bosnia, Carl Bildt, Gasic added. The head of the Mostar regional office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Wolfgang Odendahl, stated that there were no indications whatsoever that yesterday's incident was connected with the forthcoming elections. (hina) rm 121814 MET sep 96