SARAJEVO CLOSED FOR SECURITY REASON SARAJEVO, Oct 17 (Hina) - The embassies of the United States and Great Britain in Sarajevo on Wednesday was closed for security reasons. According to information forwarded from the U.S. Embassy in
the Bosnian capital to Hina correspondent, U.S. consulates in Mostar and Banja Luka, and US Agency for International Development (USAID) offices were also not open this morning. These measures have been taken because of convincing security threats, the American embassy reported. The embassy staff declined to comment on what kind of threats had been issued. The British embassy in Sarajevo this morning stated that its facilities were officially closed since 17 October. British Council also discontinued its work in the Bosnian capital. Other western countries' embassies in Sarajevo continued with their regular activities. Since the September terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the security measures
SARAJEVO, Oct 17 (Hina) - The embassies of the United States and
Great Britain in Sarajevo on Wednesday was closed for security
reasons.
According to information forwarded from the U.S. Embassy in the
Bosnian capital to Hina correspondent, U.S. consulates in Mostar
and Banja Luka, and US Agency for International Development (USAID)
offices were also not open this morning.
These measures have been taken because of convincing security
threats, the American embassy reported. The embassy staff declined
to comment on what kind of threats had been issued.
The British embassy in Sarajevo this morning stated that its
facilities were officially closed since 17 October. British
Council also discontinued its work in the Bosnian capital.
Other western countries' embassies in Sarajevo continued with
their regular activities.
Since the September terrorist attacks in New York and Washington,
the security measures around and on premises of all the foreign
embassies, consulates and offices in Bosnia-Herzegovina have been
bolstered. Special Bosnian federal police forces are controlling
the U.S. embassy round-the-clock.
Zlatko Lagumdzija, the chairman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers,
said the country's authorities were acquainted with measures the
British and American embassies had taken.
This is the assessment of the U.S. Administration and its
intelligence services, but they (measures) have not been applied
only in Bosnia but also in a significant number of other countries,
said Lagumdzija, adding that he personally believed that there was
no reason for panic.
Lagumdzija, who declined to explain the US Administration's
assessment, said the Croat-Muslim federal premier, Alija Behmen
and the federal deputy interior minister Tomislav Limov were
directly engaged in the implementation of the additional tightened
security measures taken by local police.
Bosnia's premier Lagumdzija reiterated his country's readiness to
give the full contribution to the anti-terrorist fight, and added
that there was no bigger danger of terrorism in Bosnia than in many
other countries.
A spokesman for the Bosnian foreign ministry, Amer Kapetanovic,
said the German weekly "Der Spiegel" had been asked to explain its
assertion that Osama bin Laden had stayed in Bosnia.
We insist that they prove the allegations, or apologise for
spreading rumours that do great damage to Bosnia, Kapetanovic
said.
(hina) ms