IFOR ACCEPTS APPOINTMENT OF GENERAL COLIC

SARAJEVO, Nov 13 (Hina) - The NATO-led peace force in Bosnia IFOR's command accepted the appointment of general Pero Colic as the Bosnian Serb armed forces' headquarters chief-of-staff, and established regular contact with him. A spokesman for IFOR, Wednesday said in Sarajevo that Biljana Plavsic, the Serb entity's acting president, had officially informed the IFOR command that general Zdravko Tolimir, the top officer of the Bosnian Serb forces whom the NATO representatives in Bosnia had contacted so far, had retired. The spokesman Bratt Boudreau said that it was not important to IFOR where Bosnian Serb headquarters was situated. He declined to comment indications that general Mladic's headquarters near Han Pijesak had not been yet dissolved and that Mladic did not lose virtually control over military units. The media controlled by Pale-based Serb authorities have been stepping up a campaign against Mladic and his close associates. Last night, the Pale-controlled television conveyed a comment by the radio 'Big', that allegedly broadcasts in Banja Luka, blaming directly the sacked generals for being responsible for "military defeat in the last war." A spokesman for the United Nations, Alexander Ivanko, in Sarajevo confirmed a report that the Serb entity's defence minister Milan Ninkovic had been detained yesterday at gen. Mladic's bunker at Han Pijesak. It is not known whether Ninkovic has been released. Sarajevo media published on Wednesday that also a high official of Bosnian Serb SDS party, Slobodan Bijelic, and two Pale television reporters had been arrested with Ninkovic. General Colic said last night that the reorganization of Serb army was going on without difficulty, adding that they were "in full swing." However, he did no explain what the reorganization meant. On Monday Pale sources said preparations for establishment of a new military command in Bijeljina were under way. (hina) jn mš 131835 MET nov 96