PRESIDENT TUDJMAN RECEIVES MOSTAR'S EU ADMINISTRATOR KOSCHNIK

ZAGREB, Feb 14 (Hina) - The President's Office today issued the following statement: "Croatian President Franjo Tudjman today received the European Union Administrator of Mostar, Hans Koschnik, who informed him of the situation in Mostar, and the achievements and difficulties experienced to date by the EU administration. It was agreed that several leaps forward had been made in the realisation of the Administration's task and that Croatia would continue to support the implementation of the Bosnian Federation and confederation with Croatia, and to support the European Administration. The Mostar case could not be viewed independently from the whole process of injecting life into the Federation and creating confederal links with Croatia. The meeting stressed the need for the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to take active roles in the process of seeking a viable political solution for Mostar. Such a solution would instill confidence in the population. President Tudjman said Croatia welcomed and supported the efforts of the European Union and Hans Koschnik personally. He spoke of the realisation of the Bosnian Federation and its confederation with Croatia, Croat-Moslem relations and the implementation of the Washington Accords and the Zagreb Agreements. Tudjman expounded Croatia's views on ending the UNPROFOR mandate, talks with Serbs from the occupied areas, achievements in the implementation of the Dec 2 Agreement and the Zagreb-four plan. He said the international community required internal unity to end the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Noting that he had good working relationships with Mostar Mayors Mijo Brajkovic and Safet Orucevic, Koschnik said the Administration had made several strides forward since the beginning. The next tasks included the opening of more elementary and nursery schools, the construction of the bridges over the Neretva, repairs to the Sarajevo-Ploce railway and the setting up of a health care system in Mostar. Koschnik spoke of the complex situation in the town with the intertwined issues of confidence between Croats and Moslems and the process of bringing to life the Bosnian Federation and its confederation with Croatia. He expressed his appreciation for the assistance of the Croatian President and Government and urged them to continue extending their assistance in a number of concrete issues. Koschnik drew Tudjman's attention to problems with water and power supplies, adding that the Federation President and Vice- President had promised to discover some sort of solution, at their next meeting in Sarajevo, for the reconstruction of the Salakovac hydroelectric power plant. Housing and criminal activities were yet additional problems, in which the EU Administration needed the help of Croatia and of both mayors, particularly with cars being stolen from international humanitarian agencies. Eastern Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic also held forth on this subject, while his western Mostar counterpart Mijo Brajkovic, said Croats wanted a united Mostar - but organised under a different system. President Tudjman's special plenipotentiary in charge of federal and confederal issues, Bosiljko Misetic, joined in the conversation and said Croats wanted a united Mostar made up of two distinct entities, which guaranteed their national, cultural and religious identities. President's advisor for humanitarian issues, Slobodan Lang, suggested that Croat and Moslem representatives from Tuzla, Zenica, Bugojno, Travnik and Sarajevo meet and work out their own solution to the problem. Administrator Koschnik invited President Tudjman to visit Mostar. Also present were the President's advisor on home policy, Ivic Pasalic, foreign policy advisor, Zeljko Matic, French ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, the head of the President's cabinet, Grdan Radin, Croatian consul-general in Bosnia, Ciro Grubisic, advisor at the French embassy in Zagreb, Jean-Pierre Thebault and Koschnik's advisors Klaus Metscher and Dragan Gasic." (hina) jn as sd 141539 MET feb 95