CENTRAL BOSNIA, HERZEGOVINA CRIMINALS THREATEN STATE OFFICIALS

SARAJEVO, May 10 (Hina) - Organised criminal groups from Travnik in central Bosnia and from Herzegovina have threatened to kill the head of the customs administration of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina and senior officials of the federal interior ministry. #L# Two days after the international community's High Representative Paddy Ashdown warned that threats to the customs director Zelimir Rebac should be taken very seriously, the head of the federal police administration, Zlatko Miletic, told Banja Luka's "Nezavisne novine" daily that he and the commander of special police units, Zoran Cegar, had received threats from "criminal circles from Central Bosnia Canton and Herzegovina". It was reported earlier that a letter with death threats sent to Rebac was signed by "the Russian mob". The media reported that Rebac was ordered to resign within a week, otherwise he would start "receiving packages with parts of his daughter's body". Cegar, too, confirmed having received similar threats. The Banja Luka daily says that a number of special federal police troops, who are under Cegar's command, have been ordered to guard Rebac and Miletic. Sarajevo's daily "Oslobodjenje" reported on Friday that the threats did not come from the Russian but the Herzegovina mob. The paper linked threats to Rebac with investigations the customs administration has been conducting into customs frauds connected to the incumbent Croat member of the state presidency, Dragan Covic. In an interview with Saturday's "Dnevni avaz" daily, Covic dismissed the allegations, adding the media had launched a campaign whose purpose was to underline the danger of the Herzegovina mob, which, according to his statements, does not exist in reality. Covic also stated that he would not give in to attacks and that his resignation was out of the question. (hina) rml