BELGRADE, September 10 - A return to normal functioning in economic relations between Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina calls for the urgent completion of the Interstate Free Trade Agreement, which is presently being examined by the Federal government, read a statement issued after a meeting between Serbian Minister of Trade and Tourism Slobodan Milosavljevic and representatives of the Bosnian economic delegation led by Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Hasan Becirovic.

"By signing this agreement we would legislate cooperation between Yugoslav and Bosnian businessmen, which already exists, but goes on through other channels," said Becirovic after the meeting, in which cooperation in the fields of electrical power production, forestry and mining were also discussed.

The agreement would also liberalize trade between the two countries. This would provide for Yugoslav firms to do business with companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina on the same conditions as with Croatia.

According to Becirovic, leaders of both countries should work to normalize conditions for business between Yugoslavia and Bosnia as soon as possible, in order to speed up the process of transition.

"Today's talks are only a sequel to negotiations between representatives of the Serbian government and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina which began in Sarajevo three months ago, which were commenced in order to correct the mistakes of the past and build a new future. The free trade agreement should have already been signed, and if that doesn't happen by the end of the year I'll take it as a personal failure," Serbian Minister of Trade and Tourism Slobodan Milosavljevic said.

According to Serbian Minister of Agriculture Dragan Veselinov, there is a possibility of Yugoslavia paying for goods imported from BiH with agricultural products. He added that this year we would have surplus of wheat and maize.

Veselinov said that Yugoslavia may enter the Bosnian market for agricultural equipment, planting and seed material.

"Yugoslavia has always been our market and we want to return to it, in the same scope as before," director of the Banovici mine Kadrija Modri pointed out, adding that that the mine could meet Yugoslavia's demand for coal by itself.