HIGH REPRESENTATIVE RELIEVES MANDIC FROM HIS DUTY

MOSTAR, April 27 (Hina) - The High Representative for Bosnia- Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, on Friday relieved Herzegovina- Neretva Canton interior minister Dragan Madic from his duties and banned him from performing any public or electoral duties. Petritsch suspended another three Bosnian Croat senior officials in the ministry -- head of the Minister's Cabinet Ivan Djogic, head of the logistics department Zvonko Prskalo, and legal matters assistant Branka Dadic. Elaborating his decision, Petritsch said in a statement, Mandic had jeopardised the fundamental peace agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Dayton Agreement) by expressing loyalty to the Bosnia- Herzegovina's Croat National Congress. "I am honoured to be replaced by the High Representative, and join the brigade of replaced Croat officials in Bosnia-Herzegovina", Mandic told a press conference in a southern Bosnia-Herzegovina town of Mostar. The three Croat officials were suspended for 30 days, after which the High Representative will decide on their return to the previous duties. Earlier this month, the United Nations mission suspended 17 senior Croat police officers. The High Representative also passed a decision authorising the Court and the Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo to conduct an investigation against perpetrators of incidents committed across Herzegovina in early April. Sarajevo officials will investigate the case of bomb planting under the vehicle of the Ivankovic family which took place in Siroki Brijeg on April 10. They are also to investigate the intimidation of persons who failed to support the Croat self-government as well as all other activities directed against the Constitutional order of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. (hina it sb