GALBRAITH'S INTERVIEW WITH ZAGREB-BASED DAILY "VECERNJI LIST"

ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - The U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Mr. Peter W. Galbraith said today in his interview with the Zagerb-based daily "Vecernji List" that "the peace initiative of President Tudjman is a very constructive step." He added that such an initiative was not obviously the final solution but it was something that should be considered at the negitiating table and be the issue for the further negotiations. The American Ambassador to Croatia pointed out that the U.S.A. would assist, in any case, in order that the Serbs from Krajina "seriously consider that initiative and see what they can accept from what has been proposed." Mr. Galbraith emphasized "But I underscore that the American standpoint is the support to the territorial integrity of Croatia!" Asked about the investments of the U.S. citizens in Croatia, Mr. Galbraith said that he could see "many good opportunities for the American business in Croatia." " We would like to give an incentive to more intensive economic connections between the U.S.A and Croatia. Croatia has possibilities for the economic prosperity, and they should be used. The main way to help the Croatian economy is to stop the war," stressed the American Ambassador. Asked about investigation into war crimes, Mr. Galbraith said that "perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity will be discovered and indicted, so that some of them will stand trials, since they should leave the locations where they are at the moment protected." He added that: "There is strong proof that indicates that both Karadzic and Milosevic can be guilty of war crimes, what means that they have either ordered them or let all those atrocities, we have seen in this conflict, be commited." According to Mr. Galbraith, there was a great danger that the crisis in the former Yugoslavia be rather prolonged. He added that he was concerned over the fact that the developmentts in Bosnia were going beyond any control. Therefore, Mr. Galbraith said, it was important that all the responsible leaderships in the former Yugoslavia could control their own forces, and that war criminals would go to trial. "It is important for the legitimacy of the leadership of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and Bosnian Croats that those responsible for Stupni Dol be punished," said the American ambassador addeding that the same should be applied for the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "The central control should be established and a cease-fire agreement achieved, and this would be the basis for negotiations in order to resolve that conflict in accordance with the international law and the respect of the human rights as well as on principle the territorial integrity of the U.N. members," said the U.S. Ambassador to Croatia in his interview with the Zagreb-based daily "Vecernji List", issued on Saturday. (End) mm 061625 MET nov 93