HIGH REP. PETRITSCH CONDEMNS RACIST VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, May 5 (Hina) - The incidents which occurred in the southern Bosnian town of Trebinje on Saturday when Serb extremists prevented the laying of a foundation stone for the reconstruction of a mosque represent brutal violence and a disgrace to the Bosnian Serb entity, said the High Representative in Bosnia. Wolfgang Petritsch wrote in a statement delivered to Hina in Sarajevo he was horrified with the violence in Trebinje in which the head of Petritsch's local office, Daniel Ruiz, was assaulted by three men, suffering light injuries. Other senior officials who were in attendance were forced to seek refuge on the premises of the local Islamic community. Petritsch's Sarajevo office said the passive conduct of the Bosnian Serb police during the violence in the streets of Trebinje was wholly unacceptable. The International Police Task Force will investigate the matter. The High Representative warned the Bosnian Serb authorities they were responsible for keeping peace and order, especially for the laying of a foundation stone for a mosque in the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka on Monday. The United States Embassy in Bosnia also condemned the Trebinje violence, saying the assault on Duiz was absolutely unacceptable and demanding that Bosnian Serb authorities bring the culprits to justice. (hina) ha