BOSNIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE DIVIDED REGARDING EXTRADITION

MOSTAR, Jan 21 (Hina) - Members of the steering board of the Bosnian Helsinki Committee, Slavko Kukic and Branko Todorovic on Monday issued a joint statement, distancing themselves from the views stated by the Bosnian Helsinki Committee president, Srdjan Dizdarevic, regarding last week's extradition of "an Algerian Group" from Bosnia to the United States for preparaing for terrorist attacks on the US Embassy in Bosnia. Dizdarevic said the extradition of the group of Algerians was the "result of extortion and pressure from the United States, personalised through the SFOR commander, General John Silvester, and the UN Secretary-General's envoy, Jacques Klein". The extradition of the "Algerian Group" obviously presents a violation of the European convention on human rights protection. Dizdarevic also said that the "US's verbal note overcame the legal system and the Bosnian state," and that this represented a serious blow to Bosnia-Herzegovina and its legal system. Kukic and Todorovic stressed that such stances cannot be taken as official stances of the Bosnian Helsinki Committee, because they were not discussed by the steering board. Kukic is a professor at the Mostar University. Todorovic is the secretary-general of the Bosnian Helsinki Committee, and also the president of the Helsinki Committee in Republika Srpska. (hina) lml sb