FEDERAL ARMY TO BE TRAINED BY END OF SFOR MANDATE

SARAJEVO, Feb 21 (Hina) - Presidents Alija Izetbegovic and Kresimir Zubak on Friday approved the allocation of high offices at the Bosnian Federation Defense Ministry, and appointments to those posts will begin soon. Mediating in Friday's negotiations was special US envoy for military stabilization in the Balkans, James Pardew. The Bosnian Federation Defense Ministry and joint command of the federal armed forces are expected to begin working unifiedly as soon as the appointments are completed, Pardew told a news conference which he called together with Defense Minister Anto Jelavic and his deputy Sakib Mahmuljin at the new centre of the Bosnian Federation Defense Ministry and Army. Pardew said that the federal partners had agreed on the purchase of a certain number of armoured vehicles, anti- aircraft equipment and cannons. Financial resources would be ensured from international donations and Pardew confirmed that certain eastern European countries were interested in selling weapons to the Bosnian Federation. Pardew stressed that at this moment, the necessary balance in arms between the entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina had not yet been achieved. The balance in arms and training of the federal army for defense has to end by July 1998, when SFOR troops end their mission. Pardew said that during two-day talks with highest Moslem and Croat officials, an agreement on national representation in the federal armed forces. The suggestion of the international community had been that the national ratio in the Bosnian Federation army (numbering 35,000 soldiers) be 2.5 Moslems to 1 Croat, Pardew said. The Moslem side had accepted the suggestion, but the Croat side had refused it and negotiations are to continue, he said. Federal Defense Minister Anto Jelavic said that it was the stance of the Croat representatives that the national ratio was a crucial issue and the national structure from the 1991 census had to be taken into consideration. This had to be used on the overall peace-time structure of the federal army. Jelavic expressed hope that this issue would be resolved by next Pardew's visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jelavic and Mahmuljin on Friday signed a special statement with which they confirmed the commitment of the armed forces to support the full freedom of movement in the Bosnian Federation and warned that all those who acted otherwise would be held accountable. Commending the statement, Pardew stressed that it was the joint stance that a period of unity had come and that the time of national extremism had passed. Events in Mostar had been a step back in the implementation of the "Equip and Train" programme, but criminal actions would not be allowed to slow down the establishment of military stabilization, Pardew said. He condemned last night's attack on SFOR members in Mostar. Jelavic said that forces of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) had not in any way had any part in the incidents in Mostar and that he and his deputy had given the biggest possible contribution to prevent the misuse of the army in the incident and hamper extremists. (hina) lm jn 211921 MET feb 97