CLOSE COOPERATION BETWEEN CROAT AND MOSLEM FORCES, ZUBAK SAYS

ZAGREB, Nov 5 (Hina) - President of the Bosnian Federation, Kresimir Zubak, said last night on Croatian TV that Croatian Defence Council (HVO) forces yesterday reached the village of Zloselo (in the Kupres area) and fortified their positions. "Now that we have fortified our positions, I guess that the HVO will continue to advance toward the north-west, while the Bosnian army will go northwards. Our goal is clear, we want to liberate the whole Kupres municipality," Zubak said. "We need a break. This is not the end of military operations, but just a short break to be followed by action. We have also to prepare for a Serb counterattack," Zubak said. He said the entire Kupres operation could be completed in two to three days. "After this success attained by the HVO in cooperation with the Bosnian army, it is highly probable that operations might extend to other parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina," Zubak said. He denounced the Serb propaganda aimed at fomenting strife between Croat and Moslem allies. He said the HVO and the Bosnian army command planned every step of the operation together. Asked about the political relationship between Croats and Moslems, Zubak said: "It is now clear that the establishment of the Federation will take longer than we thought. It is quite all right. But there is no question that the results we have achieved both in the field and at the political level - I refer to the Valentic-Silajdzic Malaysian tour - will be a strong incentive to resolve all controversies and boost the establishment of the Federation." (hina) as 051101 MET nov 94