MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA POSTPONED TILL SPRING - FROWICK

SARAJEVO, Oct 22 (Hina) - Head of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia- Herzegovina Robert Frowick on Tuesday said that municipal elections, announced for 23 and 24 November, had been postponed. He called the international community to help the elections take place in the first half of next year. Due to political problems in cantons all over Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Provisional electoral Committee had on Tuesday unanimously decided to postpone the outstandingly demanding municipal elections," Frowick told a news conference which took place after the Provisional Committee's meeting. #L# Frowick warned that the holding of municipal elections was crucial, stressing that it had been his personal recommendation that the elections be called as early as possible in 1997. He expressed his conviction that all logistic problems concerning the municipal elections could have been removed by the end of November, adding that their postponement had been caused by political reasons. Frowick said he believed that it would have been worth to try to organize the elections while IFOR and OSCE were in their full strength in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He explained that sides in Bosnia had asked for additional time in which to make necessary preparations. He called the international community to draw up a plan so that problems in crisis municipalities could be resolved primarily by influencing the local leadership. This task should be assumed by Bildt's Office and the Contact Group, Frowick said. Stressing that it would be necessary that OSCE organized the postponed municipal elections, Frowick said that the sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina should consent to the extension of the mandate of the organization. (hina) lm 222146 MET oct 96