IZETBEGOVIC, SILAJDZIC SUPPORT NEW BOSNIA PEACE PLAN

SARAJEVO, July 7 (Hina) - President of the Presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina and Premier Haris Silajdzic said on Thursday upon their return from Geneva that they personally supported the new Bosnia peace plan, although it contained certain negative elements along with the positive ones. However, the decision now rests with the twin Parliament of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian-Croat Federation, which will convene on July 18. President Izetbegovic said the most important of the positive elements was the confirmation of the integrity of Bosnia- Herzegovina. Regrettably, the plan envisages that important towns such as Zvornik, Rogatica, Vlasenica, Bratunac and Visegrad (eastern-Bosnian towns with a Moslem majority), said Izetbegovic. To reject the plan at this juncture would be a mistake, because it would give Karadzic and Milosevic a handy pretext to continue the war, which they mean to do anyway, said Izetbegovic. He stressed, nevertheless, that not rejecting the plan and not accepting it were two different things. President Izetbegovic described the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the EU administration of Mostar as "the salvation of Mostar" and a big step towards the establishment of the Federation. As for Sarajevo, the new peace plan defines the distribution of Bosnian and Serbian interests in Sarajevo in the ratio of 2:1, said Izetbegovic, stressing that it did not mean the partition of the city on that basis. He underlined that the Bosnian side would insist on UN protectorate over Sarajevo and its full demilitarisation. Premier Silajdzic stressed that the international community accepted in principle the Bosnian Government's demand that UN forces be deployed on the international borders between Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro. The lifting of the arms embargo against Bosnia-Herzegovina remains as an extreme measure in case Belgrade rejects the plan, Silajdzic said. 071753 MET jul 94