BOUTROS-GHALI SAYS U.N. PULLOUT FROM CROATIA WOULD BE A DISASTER

GENEVA, Jan 25 (Hina) - UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today proposed that the Croatian government and local Serb authorities continue negotiations which had already produced significant results and certain progress regarding the ceasefire agreement and the gradual implementation of the economic agreement. Over a certain period of time it would be clear whether or not this meant maintaining a political status quo in the peace process, he added. Ghali held a press conference in Geneva today after meeting his close associates yesterday for talks on further activities in the former Yugoslavia. The talks included UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi, UN mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg and Ghali's aide for peace operations Kofi Annan as well as the outgoing commanders of the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia and Bosnia, Bertrand de Lapresle and Michael Rose, and their successors. Ghali stressed they all agreed that the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Croatia would be a disaster. He added that Croatia's decision to end the UN mandate on its soil could threaten Croatian-Serbian relations and lead to the resumption of hositilities in the region. The UN was working on a contingency plan for pulling out peacekeepers from Croatia and Bosnia. The plan, expected to be completed in two weeks, contained military and political implications of the possible withdrawal of blue helmets, Ghali said. (hina) mm vm 251426 MET jan 95