US AMBASSADOR ON NEW UN MANDATE IN CROATIA

ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - US Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, said yesterday the United States supported Croatia's "reasonable" demand that its name should be included in the name of the new UN mandate. Speaking in a Croatian TV current affairs show last night, Galbraith said the main issue was how to emphasise Croatian sovereignty over its borders in the new mandate. "We are working on a formula that would meet that basic condition - maybe it will be a little different from Minister Granic's formula, but it will be directed at the same goal," Galbraith said. He recalled that a border control provision already existed in the Vance Plan, which had been accepted by the Serb side. "I hope that troops that will be monitoring the international borders will be able to perform that task (prevent military transports)," Galbraith said. "But it will require the cooperation of the Serb side, because UN forces won't be able to use military force to stop transports," he warned. He said five to seven thousand men were not sufficient to effectively seal a border stretching for hundreds and hundreds of miles. But according to Galbraith, the Serb side would eventually come round because "it was in their interest to cooperate," if they wanted to have some kind of international presence in Croatia. The international presence was important for Croatia, because it opened a space for seeking a peaceful solution and enabled Croatia to turn to its economy. "But it is even more important for the Serbs because it guarantees that there will be no military actions," he elaborated. "I am sure that the Serb side will realise that such control is in their interest, because it entails international presence," Galbraith concluded. (hina) jn as 301123 MET mar 95