BOSNIAN SERBS WILL BE BARRED FROM DONORS CONFERENCE

SARAJEVO, April 6 (Hina) - The deputy high representative for implementation of the peace agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Michael Steiner, said on Saturday that the Bosnian Serbs would be punished for their failure to unconditionally release all prisoners of war. The Croat and Moslem sides had fully complied with their commitments by releasing all remaining POWs and delivering war crimes indictments to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Steiner told a press conference in Sarajevo. The Serbs failed to do that and their leader, Radovan Karadzic, had made a serious mistake, he added. Steiner said that high representative Carl Bildt would make a recommendation that a conference of donors be held in Brussels on April 12-13 as scheduled but that Bosnian Serb officials would be barred from attending. Anyone can assess what this actually means, he added. Steiner specified that Bosnian Serbs were still holding 16 prisoners of war. The Croat side released 28 prisoners late Friday night while another 12 were transferred to Sarajevo's central prison. Evidence charging them with war crimes was handed over to the Hague-based tribunal. The Moslem side released 18 POWs who were taken to the Serb stronghold of Pale Friday night. A further investigation of ten war crimes suspects would be left to the Hague-based tribunal. Tribunal investigators had visited Sarajevo on Friday and issued temporary warrants for the arrest of war crimes suspects on the basis of evidence. The suspects would remain in the Sarajevo prison until the end of the investigation. Steiner said he was encouraged by the Sarajevo agreement on the Bosnian Croat-Moslem federation and that real steps forward had been made in its implementation. He particularly stressed the importance of establishing a unified customs system. (hina) vm 061939 MET apr 96