CROATIA IS FIRM IN ITS DECISION NOT TO RENEW UNPROFOR'S MANDATE

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Hina) - Croatia will not change its decision to cancel the current UNPROFOR mandate at the end of March. "This is a firm decision and we have no intention of changing it," Croatian Ambassador in the United States, Petar Sarcevic, told a joint press conference in Washington with Bosnian Ambassador Sven Alkalaj. Asked if the decision was open to compromise, Sarcevic recalled that the UN peace keepers had not fulfilled their mandate in Croatia and displaced people had not returned to their homes. Meanwhile rebel Serbs had not been disarmed, and they were even launching attacks on Bosnia-Herzegovina from occupied Croatian areas. Sarcevic said that after the departure of the UN peace keepers, at whose expense Croatian Serb insurgents had been sustained, the burden of financing Serbs in the occupied Croatian areas would fall on Milosevic's shoulders. Asked how Croatia came to its assessment that "Vukovar will not be repeated", Sarcevic said that the "balance between the forces was different now to what it was in 1991". Furthermore, economic sanctions against Serbia had had some effects, and Milosevic would like to include Serbia into the international community, while "there are many Serbs in UN Protected Areas of Croatia willing to live in Croatia", he said. Responding to several questions concerning difficulties in the functioning of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the division of Mostar, and wishes for "a greater Croatia", Sarcevic said that Croatia's support of the Bosnian Federation was the best proof in rejecting such speculations. Cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was greatly advantageous to both countries, Sarcevic added. Bosnian Ambassador Alkalaj said there were certain individuals who were trying to undermine the Federation because of their own interests. Alkalaj warned of the tragic humanitarian situation in Bihac and other besieged Bosnian towns, emphasizing that "a great number of people are starving to death". Bosnian and Croatian Serbs, along with Moslem renegades loyal to separatist Abdic, were continually attacking Bihac and amassing their forces to launch new offensives. Therefore, Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic, Monday sent a letter to US President Bill Clinton asking for action that might alleviate the situation in Bihac, according Alkalaj. Saying that he could not see any chance that Bosnian Serbs would accept the plan (of the Contact Group), Alkalaj said they should be presented with a deadline. If Serbs did not adopt the plan within the deadline, measures, proposed by the communiqué of the Contact Group ministerial session in July last year, should be undertaken and more decisive actions carried out, such as tightened sanctions, air strikes and protection of the UN-declared 'safe havens'. Furthermore the arms embargo on Bosnia should be lifted, Alkalaj added. (hina) jn sd mms 141150 MET feb 95