U.S. DISSATISFIED WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF BH FEDERAL DEFENSE ACT

SARAJEVO, Sept 25 (Hina) - The government of the United States stopped the delivery of weaponry intended for the Bosnian Federation Army because it was dissatisfied with the tempo of establishing a united Federation defense system, Bosnian Federation Defense Minister Vladimir Soljic told Hina on Wednesday. This was positive pressure on us to make more effort to respect the envisaged dynamic, Soljic said and added that the deadline for the appointment of a new commander of the Joint Federal Army Headquarters and his deputy was over. "We had the obligation to abolish the Defense Ministry of the Republic and the Federation and the Defense Ministry of Herzeg- Bosnia and link them into one ministry", Soljic said adding that in this regard there was no misunderstanding between the Croat and Bosniak sides. As soon as President Alija Izetbegovic returned from the U.S., a Croat-Bosniak agreement would be signed to formally ratify the already existing practice that the defense minister and his deputy could not be from the same people, Soljic said and added that recommendations for the commander and his deputy already existed. Current lateness in the delivery of U.S. weaponry was not on a level that would threaten the implementation of the "Equip and Train" programme, Soljic said, but added that mentioning it could incite speedier and better work. (hina) ha jn 251559 MET sep 96