SARAJEVO, Sept 20 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, is concerned over groundless speculations in the media which try to present Bosnia as a country harbouring
terrorists. The Austrian diplomat has warned such rumours could impede reconciliation and the stabilisation of peace. A spokesman for Petritsch's Office (OHR) has said the High Representative has full confidence in Bosnian authorities and the measures they are taking to maintain order and security in the country, including the inspection of citizenship certificates issued to naturalised Bosnian during the war. Tactless speculation could only stir new prejudices and spread mistrust, the spokesman Kevin Sullivan said at a regular news briefing on Thursday, commenting on numerous media reports on alleged links between Osama bin Laden and Bosnia. A spokesman for Bosnia's foreign minis
SARAJEVO, Sept 20 (Hina) - The international community's High
Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, is
concerned over groundless speculations in the media which try to
present Bosnia as a country harbouring terrorists.
The Austrian diplomat has warned such rumours could impede
reconciliation and the stabilisation of peace.
A spokesman for Petritsch's Office (OHR) has said the High
Representative has full confidence in Bosnian authorities and the
measures they are taking to maintain order and security in the
country, including the inspection of citizenship certificates
issued to naturalised Bosnian during the war.
Tactless speculation could only stir new prejudices and spread
mistrust, the spokesman Kevin Sullivan said at a regular news
briefing on Thursday, commenting on numerous media reports on
alleged links between Osama bin Laden and Bosnia.
A spokesman for Bosnia's foreign ministry on Thursday again
categorically refuted the possibility that any terrorist was
staying freely in Bosnia or that they carried Bosnian passports.
The ministry's spokesman Amer Kapetanovic reminded that of 11,000
people who got Bosnian citizenship during the 1992-1995 war, 420
had come from Islamic countries. The status of those 420
naturalised Bosnians is being inspected within check-ups which
Bosnian authorities are making, he added.
The check-up of names from a list with 19 persons - suspected
terrorists in the recent attacks in the United States - which
Sarajevo received via Interpol, showed that suicide attackers had
no connection with Bosnia.
The Sarajevo press on Thursday severely criticised some media
speculations on unimpeded activities of terrorists in Bosnia or
even some claims that bin Laden's followers had a training camp in
this country. For instance, such rumours are frequent in the media
in neighbouring Serbia.
The daily "Oslobodjenje' also criticised Croatian Television (HT)
over its programme "New War", broadcast on Tuesday evening, when
some footage presented Bosnia as an area where terrorists freely
prepared their operations. This broadcast was labelled by the daily
as the worst kind of war-time propaganda.
(hina) sb ms