NO NEW WEAPONS FOR BOSNIAN FEDERATION UNTIL OLD ONES DESTROYED

SARAJEVO, Oct 30 (Hina) - Weapons aboard the US ship "Condor" intended for the Bosnian Federation army, which are to be unloaded in Croatia's port of Ploce, will not be transported to Bosnia- Herzegovina until the Bosnian Federation provides evidence on the destruction of the required amounts of arms it is in possession of, SFOR and OSCE representatives said in Sarajevo on Thursday. SFOR spokesman Chris Riley stressed that the Federation authorities had been requested to provide information, with the mediation of the OSCE, about the fulfillment of their obligations in line with the agreement on the reduction and control of arms, after which the transport of the 126 howitzers carried by the US ship would be granted. That did not mean that the Federation was not allowed to import weapons, but that it had to provide information about fulfilled obligations, said OSCE spokesman Johan Verhayden. Riley and Verhayden explained that a certain number of the existing artillery had to be destroyed so that the new weapons could be imported. Verhayden recalled that Friday was the deadline for the implementation of the first part of the arms control agreement, and once reports were submitted on fulfilled commitments and necessary inspections conducted, the true situation in this field would be seen. Besides 155mm howitzers produced under NATO standards, the Condor carries ammunition, 46,000 artillery simulators and spare parts for US tanks and armoured personnel carriers delivered to the Bosnian Federation last year. Fifteen UH-1 transport helicopters will be transported to Germany for Bosnian Federation pilots' training. The helicopters are expected to arrive in Bosnia next year. On occasion of this delivery of weapons as part of the "Equip and Train" programme, State Department spokesman James Rubin said on Tuesday that its implementation represented the minimum efforts necessary to compensate the advantage in arms that the Bosnian Serbs had had during the war, so that the Bosnian Federation could be trained to defend its people and territory. (hina) lm 301425 MET oct 97