SPECIAL POLICE UNITS IN BH MUST BE DISSOLVED - EIDE

SARAJEVO, Aug 8 (Hina) - The head of the UN Mission in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Kai Eide, on Friday requested that special police units in Republika Srpska and the (Croat-Moslem) Federation of BH be dissolved, warning the officials of the two entities that such units would be illegal after 31 August, the UN Mission's seat in Sarajevo said in a statement. Eide had notified the Federation's president and vice president, Vladimir Soljic and Ejup Ganic, as well as the president of Republika Srpska, Biljana Plavsic, about the matter on 7 August, letting them know that he had considered the opinion of the Stabilization Force's chief commander, General Shinseki, who said that special police units were, according to Annexe 1-A of the Peace Accord, in reality part of the armed force under SFOR's strict control, which meant that possession of heavy weaponry was prohibited. Eide said he had informed Shinseki that after 31 August, the international police would not recognize the regularity of staff not specially registered, who would therefore be subjected to measures from Annexe 1-A. The head of the UN Mission called on Plavsic especially to start with the reorganization of police in Republika Srpska, saying that an agreement on the matter must be signed by the end of August. It is believed that police in the Bosnian Serb entity has about 20,000 members. Under international police standards this number must be reduced by half. Authorities in Pale so far opposed any possibility of doing so. (hina) ha 082009 MET aug 97