BOSNIAN PARTIES TO WITHDRAW BY MIDNIGHT FRIDAY

SARAJEVO, Jan 18 (Hina) - All three Bosnian parties have so far shown willingness to cooperate and it is expected that they will meet a deadline for separation of forces along former confrontation lines, the commander of ground troops in the NATO-led peace Implementation Force (IFOR), British General Michael Walker, told a news conference in Sarajevo on Thursday. The deadline expires at midnight on January 19 until which time the Bosnian army, Croat Defence Council (HVO) and Serb forces must withdraw two kilometres from each side of the confrontation line, remove all obstacles and mines from the zones of separation and clearly mark the remaining minefields. IFOR troops will oversee the withdrawal and make sure that no armed forces or individuals enter the zones after January 19. Only police will be allowed into the zones after the deadline and the IFOR commander will decide whether they can carry arms or not. Walker said that commitments from the peace agreement had been mostly fulfilled. Mujaheddin troops who had fought on the Bosnian government side had been mainly disarmed and most of them were currently at Coralici near the northwestern town of Bihac, from where they gradually leave for third countries via Zagreb. A group of 13 Mujaheddin fighters left Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday and another group was expected to depart some time on Thursday, Walker said. For the time being IFOR troops would not conduct foot patrol in separation zones because of remaining mines. (hina) vm jn 181419 MET jan 96