CROATIAN ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF MEETS OUTGOING U.N. FORCE COMMANDER

ZAGREB, Feb 28 (Hina) - The Croatian Army Chief of Staff, General Janko Bobetko, today received the outgoing commader of the UN Protection Force for the former Yugoslavia, General Bertrand de Lapresle, and his successor, General Bernard Janvier. Bobetko said Croatia was under pressure to modify its decision on ending the UNPROFOR mandate. He repeated that Croatia would do all it could to reintegrate its occupied areas in a peaceful manner. Bobetko stressed that war could be avoided if Croatia's borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were effectively supervised with the assistance of some other forces, if the international community warned Serbia that it had to recognize Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and if the international community accepted a Croatian proposal to supervise the respect for Serb minority rights in Croatia. De Lapresle said that UNPROFOR would continue to imlement its mandate the best way it could until it expired on March 31, and as of April 1 it would abide by what the UN Security Council decided. UNPROFOR was seriously contemplating all options, including the supervision of borders, monitoring activities in separation zones, the delivery of logistic aid to the Bihac pocket through Croatia, or a complete withdrawal, de Lapresle said. He added that UNPROFOR would conduct its mission in close cooperation with Croatian authorities. Bobetko stressed the current problem of provocations and Serb troops digging trenches along the Croatian borders, particularly in the Dubrovnik area, which UNPROFOR was supposed to oppose. Regarding Montenegro's threats that it would occupy the Prevlaka isthmus, Croatia's southernmost tip, of which he had been earlier informed in a letter by Bobetko, de Lapresle said that UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi would travel to Montenegro within the next two months to discuss the problem with President Bulatovic. (hina) mm vm 281946 MET feb 95