ZUBAK'S OFFICE REACTS TO ABORTED MEETING WITH GELBARD

( Editorial: --> 3792 ) SARAJEVO, March 31 (Hina) - Kresimir Zubak's office on Tuesday night said talks last weekend between the Bosnian Presidency member and special US presidential envoy for the former Yugoslavia, Robert Gelbard, had not been aborted over their content but because of the "tone" and the "manner" of discussion. The Presidency member's office reacted to Monday's expanded statement by the United States Embassy in Sarajevo on Saturday's aborted Zubak-Gelbard talks. The American Embassy statement had said, inter alia, that Zubak did not want to discuss any aspect of responsibility of Bosnian Croats for fulfilling commitments from the Washington and Dayton agreements and had tried to shift the blame for the situation in Croat-Muslim Federation on others. But Zubak's office says that the embassy's statement ignores the part on the manner of the discussion. Ambassador Gelbard talked in a way that is not worthy of anyone "let alone of an American official". Zubak's office believes that the Presidency member's statement clearly explained to the public why the meeting with Ambassador Gelbard had been cut short. The office decided not to react to the embassy's statement earlier, convinced that Gelbard's behaviour should be attributed to his "bad day", says a statement that was carried by Bosnian Croat news agency Habena. (Hina) mr /mb 312245 MET mar 98