U.S. REQUESTS PUBLIC DISMISSAL OF BOSNIAN FEDERATION'S CENGIC

WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Hina) - The United States administration on Friday publicly requested the deputy Bosnian Federation Defense Minister Hasan Cengic to be dismissed because of his connections with Iran and for obstructing the democratic processes in Bosnia- Herzegovina. #L# The military equipment which had been waiting in the Croatian port of Ploce for ten days would not be delivered until Cengic was formally and publicly replaced, US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said in Washington on Friday. The United States had established that the Bosnian Federation deputy Defense Minister Hasan Cengic personally maintained close relations with Iran. He had been obstructing the development of the west-oriented defense structure in the Federation and had been acting against a democratic Federation in general, Burns said. The US administration had decided to take this unusual diplomatic step because, after having received reassurances from high-ranking Bosnian officials, including President Alija Izetbegovic, Cengic's dismissal had not taken place, Burns said. Cengic's connections with Iran, considering his function in the Bosnian Federation, completely prevented the "Equip and Train" programme from continuing," Burns said, adding that the United States did not want to see the Iranian government's military influence at a high level in a country to which it gave a significant amount of assistance. (hina) lm 012133 MET nov 96