DEMIREL AND IZETBEGOVIC SUPPORT CASADO

MOSTAR, June 18 (Hina) - Presidents of Turkey and Bosnia- Herzegovina, Sulejman Demirel and Alija Izetbegovic respectively, on Tuesday held talks in Mostar with the European Administrator for Mostar, Ricardo Perez Casado, and the mayors of western and eastern Mostar, Mijo Brajkovic and Safet Orucevic respectively. The talks focused on local elections scheduled for 30 June. After the meeting Izetbegovic said that he and Demirel "fully supported Casado to organize fair and free elections in as much as it is possible". Spokesman for the EU Administration for Mostar, Dragan Gasic, told reporters that Casado had informed the two presidents of the difficulties in the city. He said that Demirel had promised Turkey's help to Mostar and "invited everybody, that means the mayors too, to cooperation". Western (Croat) Mostar mayor Mijo Brajkovic said that the Mostar elections were very important because they were "the first step towards a bigger democratization of the city", adding that after the elections "the economic rehabilitation of the city must be intensified, and a political solution will then be secondary because we have found a solution for Mostar in Dayton". After the meeting, held at the EU Administration headquarters, Demirel and Izetbegovic went to Eastern (Moslem) Mostar, where Demirel should open a Turkish consulate. (hina) ha jn 181336 MET jun 96