NATO PREPARING PLANS FOR NEW BOSNIA MISSION

SARAJEVO, Dec 6 (Hina) - NATO commanders in Europe are working on plans for deployment of about 30,000 troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a new international military operation called "Joint Guard". The plans are expected to be adopted in mid-December, a spokesman for the NATO-led peace Implementation Force (IFOR) said in Sarajevo on Friday. The deployment of a stabilization force (SFOR) would require a UN Security Council resolution that would define its mandate, IFOR spokesman Bratt Boudreau said, noting that the Security Council may change the mandate of the new force with regard to war crimes suspects. Currently there are a little more than 37,000 IFOR troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, most of them from NATO member states, who have been deployed as part of Operation Joint Endeavour which officially ends on December 20. Most troop-contributing countries are expected to pull their troops out and replace them with fresh ones American troops will continue to be the most numerous in the northeastern part of the country, British troops will control the southwest while the southeast will be supervised by French and German forces. (hina) vm jn 061730 MET dec 96