CORIC AGAINST POLITICAL MANIPULATION OF SECURITY SITUATION IN MOST

MOST $ AR MOSTAR, Nov 12 (Hina) - A recent demand by the international police that special police squads be withrawn from western Mostar was an "attempt at manipulating the security situation in Mostar to achieve political goals," the Herzegovina canton minister of the interior, Valentin Coric, told a press conference on Tuesday. Coric deplored the fact that nobody "was asking any questions about special police squads in eastern Mostar" - which was "clearly aimed at achieving some political goal." Asked whether the ultimatum for the withdrawal of special police by 8 a.m. Tuesday, set by the superintendent of International Police Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Peter Fitzgerald, was still in force, Coric replied that "there was no need." He added that IFOR and the International Police had expressed satisfaction after inspecting the building, warehouses and other premises used by the special police on Monday. "We have observed all that had to be observed," Coric said, stressing that "in fact, there were no problems at all." He announced that special police squads would be transformed into cantonal police. "A cantonal special spolice squad reflecting the ethnic structure will be set up under a single command," he said. But before it could be set up, it was necessary to adopt the cantonal Constitution, the Law on Internal Affairs and define the cantonal insignia. Without this legislative framework, it was not possible to make new police uniforms, Coric emphasised. "It is high time to normalise communication between eastern and western Mostar," Coric concluded. (hina) jn as 121907 MET nov 96