CROATIAN EMBASSY CONDEMNS MURDER OF HERZEGOVINA CROATS

SARAJEVO, Dec 26 (Hina) - The Croatian Embassy in Bosnia- Herzegovina on Thursday strongly condemned the murder of three members of a Croat family from the village of Kostajnica near Konjic in Herzegovina, requesting that the perpetrators be adequately punished. #L# Ambassador Josip Vrbosic said in a statement that regardless of the motive for the killing, the fact that the murder was committed on Christmas Eve evoked bad associations and speculation. The crime can pose a serious threat to the announced and expected return of all refugees to their homes, Vrbosic said. "We expect the competent bodies of authority to bring to justice and adequately punish as soon as possible the perpetrator of this mindless crime, so that all doubts could be removed and coexistence, mutual trust and tolerance could be restored, both in the village where the crime occurred and the whole of Bosnia- Herzegovina," the statement noted. Ambassador Vrbosic today visited the family and offered them his condolences, after which he talked to state and local officials. High Representative Paddy Ashdown and the newly-appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic, today visited the members of the Andjelic family who survived the shooting. Both officials condemned the crime and stated that all available measures would be taken to find the perpetrators and stabilise the security situation as soon as possible. The International Police Task Force (IPTF) commissioner, Sven Frederiksen, requested the local police to carry out a thorough investigation. The UN Mission in Sarajevo stated this evening that the federal police had informed the IPTF that a 25-year-old Bosniak from Konjic had admitted to having committed the crime. The suspect, whose name was not revealed, also admitted where he had hidden the weapon used in the killing, the UN Mission reported. (hina) rml