CSCE SENIOR OFFICIALS COMMITTEE'S DECISION ON SITUATION IN BIHAC

BUDAPEST, Dec 2 (Hina) - The Conference on the Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Committee of Senior Officials last night adopted the Decision on the situation in Bihac. The draft Decision was proposed by the Croatian and Bosnian delegations. The Committee supported "efforts by the United Nations Security Council and United Nations representatives to achieve an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and a complete cessation of hostilities on the entire territory of Bosnia, as a key condition for normalizing the situation in the Bihac region and averting new conflicts". The Committee of Senior Officials decided: "1. To draw as a matter of urgency the attention of the Budapest Review Conference to the conflict in the territory of Bosnia- Herzegovina and more specifically to the situation in the Bihac region, so that an appropriate decision can be prepared for submission to the CSCE Budapest Summit; 2. To welcome the intention of the Chairman-in-Office to appoint a personal representative according to Chapter I, paragraph 22 of the Helsinki Document 1922, to report on the situation in the Bihac region to the Permanent Committee at its next meeting to be held on 15 December 1994; 3. To instruct the Permanent Committee to dispatch a CSCE short- term fact-finding mission to the region, according to Chapter III, paragraphs 12 to 16, of the Helsinki Document 1992, as soon as practicable, with a view to establishing the facts on the state of human rights and the plight of the civilian population in the United Nations-proclaimed safe area of Bihac; 4. Requests the Chairman-in-Office to keep the Secretary-General of the United Nations informed of the results of the 4th Emergency Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials." The Committee noticed that "opportunities for consultations on the situation in Bosnia including in the Bihac region were offered by upcoming high-level meetings in international fora in the next few days, and particularly the CSCE Budapest Summit, and urged all the parties concerned to fully utilize them". (hina) mm ks 021237 MET dec 94