CONSTITUENT SESSION OF POSAVINA CANTON'S PARLIAMENT

ORASJE, Feb 11 (Hina) - The constituent session of the Posavina Canton's Parliament was taken place today in Orasje, northern Bosnia. The Parliament of the Posavina Canton holds the legislative power of this northern canton in the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina. The session was attended by the President of the Bosnian Federation, Kresimir Zubak, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's advisor on the confederational relations with the Bosnian Federation, Bosiljko Misetic, and representatives of Herzeg-Bosnia. The constitution of the legislative power of the Posavina Canton represented a step further to the speedier implementation of the Constitution of the Bosnian Federation, said Iko Stanic on behalf of the organizing committee and the chair officers. He stressed that Posavina had always been an undivided whole, and it should remain so. He added that the Serb-occupied parts of Posavina had to be liberated either by military or political means as soon as possible. Representatives of Croat citizens from municipalities of Gradacac, Brcko (i.e. Brcko-Ravne) and Doboj, parts of which are now under the occupation, requested that they should equally participate in the Parliament of the Posavina Canton. It was concluded that each of these three municipalities should have its two deputies, and the number of the Parliament's member would rise to 36. Other municipalities - Odzak, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, Modrica, Orasje and Derventa - have each five deputies. The representatives of the Bosniac people today contested criteria for the election of the deputies to the Canton's Parliament. They suggested that the mandates of the deputies should not be verified today, since they did not mirror the structure of the population four years before. However, the Constitution of the Canton said that the results of the latest elections should be taken as the chief criterion. Therefore, the mandates of the 36 deputies were verified today. The Federation's President Zubak addressed the constituent session and said the course of this Parliament proved that the creation and establishment of the Federation was to be done with great efforts. Stressing that the world supported the Federation, Zubak said that only the preserved unity of Bosniacs (Moslems) and Croats on the grounds of peace, freedom and mutual respect for the rights could pave the path for the Federation. (hina) mms 111918 MET feb 95