CANTONAL INTERIOR MINISTER SUSPENDS FOUR CROAT POLICEMEN IN MOSTAR

MOSTAR, March 5 (Hina) - Jadranko Lovric has been appointed new commander of the Mostar Police Department, the Interior Ministry of the Herzegovina- Neretva Canton said in a statement on Wednesday. Cantonal Interior Minister Valentin Coric suspended Mostar Police Department Commander Marko Radic, his deputy Ivan Hrkac and officers Zeljko Planinic and Bozo Peric until the completion of the investigation. An investigation showed that "there are grounds for suspicion that the commanding officers of the Mostar Police Department are responsible" for the event of February 10, the statement said. The Interior Ministry had informed the International Police Task Force (IPTF) that representatives of the Moslem secrete police AID had moved by force into the building of the joint cantonal police force without the knowledge and permission of the international police. The statement said that by this act the Mostar Moslems had once again violated the hitherto reached agreements. On Tuesday night, Coric met IPTF acting commander in Mostar Bertold Hubert and proposed signing an agreement on traffic control on Mostar's Bulevar road and the establishment of joint police patrols. The Moslems were to respond to the proposal by 10.00 hours on Wednesday. But the Moslem side requested a meeting that would include the Interior Minister, his deputy Sefkija Dziho, and IPTF and SFOR officials. Minutes before the beginning of the meeting at 11.00 hours, an announcement came from the international police that the Moslems would not attend, the statement concluded. (hina) vm jn 051845 MET mar 97