REPUBLIKA SRPSKA GOVT RECEIVES $5 MILLION OF HELP FROM AMERICA

( Editorial: --> 5568 ) SARAJEVO, April 8 (Hina) - The United States of America will set aside US$ million of help for the Republika Srpska government budget, the office of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sarajevo said on Wednesday. The financial assistance is intended for salaries in the public sector, such as doctors' and teachers' salaries. This help will obtain the government of Premier Milorad Dodik time to establish its own budget and ensure permanent sources of income, the USAID said in a statement. The agency's director for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Craig Buck, said the additional five mission dollars represented to Republika Srpska proof about what kind of help can be available for complying with the Dayton Agreement. High International Representative Carlos Westendorp called on the international community in January to urgently ensure US$15 million for Republika Srpska as support for the new government in Banja Luka. Besides the United States, the money was also ensured by the European Union, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain and Canada. (hina) lm mm 081758 MET apr 98