WESTENDORP RELIEVES STOLAC MAYOR OF HIS DUTIES

( Editorial: --> 7343 ) SARAJEVO, March 5 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative Carl Westendorp on Thursday relieved the mayor of the southern-Bosnian town of Stolac, Pero Raguz, of his duties. The decision was made pursuant to the authority vested in Westendorp by the Bonn conference and is effective immediately. According to Aisling Burne with Westendorp's Office in Sarajevo, the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina was notified of the decision and requested to nominate another mayor. The reason for Raguz' dismissal was his failure to "fulfill the requirements for the unimpeded return of Bosnian Muslim refugees and to establish a special municipal commission to encourage and promote this process," Westendorp said in a letter which was delivered to Raguz on Thursday. UNHCR spokesperson Ariane Queintier on Thursday voiced her agency's unconditional support to Westendorp's decision, blaming the Croatian side for the fact that only 82 Muslim families have returned to Stolac to date, out of a total number of 100 families which were to return under a pilot project initiated two years ago. (hina) mm as 051409 MET mar 98