SITUATION IN MOSTAR IMPROVING, EU ADMINISTRATOR KOSCHNIK SAYS

MOSTAR, Feb 10 (Hina) - Mostar's European Administrator, Hans Koschnik, said today the announced tripartite meeting involving Presidents Tudjman, Izetbegovic and Milosevic, could help restore peace in the area of former Yugoslavia. "My view is that the borders and sovereignty of republics must be respected," Koschnik told reporters, adding that these views were shared by Tudjman and Milosevic. "But the question is how to put all this in practice - it will probably be settled in a diplomatic manner," Koschnik said. He spoke of his plans to visit Croatian President Tudjman French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe next week. Koschnik and Juppe would review the situation in Mostar and the developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, with particular emphasis on the issue of Bosnian and Knin Serbs. After returning from Paris, Koschnik planned to call a meeting with HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union ) and SDA (Moslem-led Party of Democratic Action) officials to hear how they envisioned the organisation of Mostar. He said the situation in Mostar was improving after a meeting between Bosnian Federation President Kresimir Zubak and Vice-President Ejup Ganic two weeks ago. "I am much more optimistic now than at the beginning of the year," he concluded. (as) 101357 MET feb 95