BOSNIAN CROATS TO HAND OVER TWO TOWNS TO SERBS - IFOR

USKOPLJE, Jan 25 (Hina) - Bosnian Croat and Serb forces are making preparations for a land swap in line with a peace agreement, an IFOR spokesman said on Thursday. The Croat Defence Council (HVO) should hand over the Sipovo and Mrkonjic grad areas of western Bosnia to the Serb side by February 3 under the Dayton peace agreement, IFOR Sector South-West spokesman Major Roy Collins told a press conference. Collins added that he was not expecting any major obstacles to the fulfilment of this term of the peace agreement. The Serb mayors of the two towns had visited the area and would inform the Serb people who had fled the area during Croat military operations about the situation there, he said. In response to a journalist's question on what would happen with the local Croat population, Collins said that IFOR had tried to persuade the Croats to stay but without success. British IFOR Brigadier General Dannet had visited the Croat village of Majdan but his attempts to talk the local villagers into staying had failed and Croats were leaving the village, Collins said. (hina) vm jn 251842 MET jan 96