BH CROAT WAR VICTIMS TAKE OVER SAFEGUARDING OF HVO BARRACKS

MOSTAR/KISELJAK/LIVNO, March 30 (Hina) - Bosnian Croat war victims associations on Thursday took over the safeguarding of the barracks members of the Croat component of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina Army abandoned two days ago, in respect of a call by the Croat National Congress on the disbanding of Croat units and denying the Federation's new defence minister Mijo Anic their loyalty. "We will not allow someone who was not elected by the Croat people to decide about the barracks which we will return to its actual owners - the HVO (Croat Defence Council) once a permanent political solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been found," an alliance of Homeland War associations from Mostar said in a statement, adding its members had today entered HVO barracks. According to Croatian Radio Herzeg-Bosnia from Mostar, Croat war victims associations have entered barracks in Mostar, Kiseljak (central Bosnia), Drvar, Livno and Tomislavgrad. A war volunteers association from Central Bosnia reported that their members had been evicted from the HVO barracks in Busovaca by its newly-appointed commander and international stabilisation forces (SFOR). According to HVO members from the country's northern Posavina region, SFOR today blocked a barracks in Orasje, while armoured vehicles were positioned all over the town and several helicopters were patrolling the area. Phone links to Posavina and Central Bosnia were not in operation for a couple of hours today. The SFOR command in Sarajevo dismissed the reports on its blocking the barracks, saying only the troops were only closely monitoring the situation on the ground. (hina) rml