U.S. CONGRESS HELSINKI COMMITTEE ON BOSNIA, CROATIA

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Hina) - It was very difficult to avoid a new war in Croatia but it would be even more difficult to avoid it in Bosnia-Herzegovina and that would be our main objective in the next few weeks, US asssitant secretary of state Richard Hobrooke said today. Speaking at a session of the US Congress Helsinki Committee, Holbrooke said that the Gore-Tudjman agreement created a good balance between keeping UN peacekeepers in Croatia and taking into account Croatia's legitimate demands for control of its internationally recognized borders. Speaking of a legislative initiative in Congress to lift the arms embargo from the Bosnian government, Holbrooke asked deputies whether they were prepared to give expensive, substantial and quick support to the Sarajevo government, because otherwise it would be irresponsible. He said that the Contact Group peace plan for Bosnia- Herzegovina would not be changed, and called on Bosnian Serbs to accept it. Helsinki Committee chairman Christopher Smith said that Cherif Bassiouni's testimony before this committee on Tuesday confirmed that there was not doubt that genocide was committed in Bosnia- Herzegovina. Smith said that the genocide was committed in a systematic and organized way. He added that facts about mass executions and graves revealed that genocide had also been committed in Croatia. (hina) jn vm 062151 MET apr 95