SARAJEVO/BANJA LUKA, May 7 (Hina) - The Bosnian Serb police on Monday afternoon started evacuating about 300 Bosniaks and diplomats trapped in the Islamic community building in Banja Luka, and the head of the U.N. Mission to Bosnia,
Jacques Klein, said the laying of the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the oldest Banja Luka mosque was definitely postponed.
SARAJEVO/BANJA LUKA, May 7 (Hina) - The Bosnian Serb police on
Monday afternoon started evacuating about 300 Bosniaks and
diplomats trapped in the Islamic community building in Banja Luka,
and the head of the U.N. Mission to Bosnia, Jacques Klein, said the
laying of the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the oldest
Banja Luka mosque was definitely postponed. #L#
Following demonstrations which erupted this morning ahead of the
laying of the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the
Ferhat-Pasha Mosque in downtown Banja Luka, numerous Muslims who
gathered for the ceremony and guests, including several
ambassadors, were showered with stones and exposed to threats and
had to seek shelter in the nearby Islamic community building.
During the day, the protesters grew more and more aggressive and set
fire to seven buses aboard which Bosniak refugees had arrived in
Banja Luka. Several thugs managed to break through the police
cordon and reach the Islamic community building.
As the local police were unable to stop the violence, it was decided
that the encircled Bosniaks and diplomats should be evacuated under
police escort.
The highest Bosnian Serb officials addressed the gathered
protesters during the day demanding that they stop the violence and
help alleviate the situation but this only slightly lessened
tensions on the streets of Banja Luka.
Bosnia-Herzegovina's Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija,
Ambassador Klein and the US ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina
refused to leave the premises of the Islamic community before all
the faithful who wanted to participate in the ceremony were safely
evacuated from the building.
(hina) sb rml