CISTA VELIKA, Aug 3 (Hina) - The money, ensured via the International Trust Fund for Demining (ITF) has been used for the removal of mines from about one million and a half million square metres in Croatia to date. According to the
figures released by the trust fund, which has the headquarters in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and which covers the area of southeastern Europe, another million square metres will be cleared of mines by the end of this year. ITF representatives, led by its chairman Jernej Cimpersak, on Thursday toured two villages in the Sibenik hinterland - Cista Velika and Cista Mala - where ITF is participating in the mine clearance. They held talks with representatives of the Knin-based branch office of the Croatian Mine Action Centre. During the first stage 90,000 square metres were cleared of mines in the Croat-populated Cista Velika, and the same was done in Cista Mala where ethn
CISTA VELIKA, Aug 3 (Hina) - The money, ensured via the
International Trust Fund for Demining (ITF) has been used for the
removal of mines from about one million and a half million square
metres in Croatia to date.
According to the figures released by the trust fund, which has the
headquarters in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and which covers the area of
southeastern Europe, another million square metres will be cleared
of mines by the end of this year.
ITF representatives, led by its chairman Jernej Cimpersak, on
Thursday toured two villages in the Sibenik hinterland - Cista
Velika and Cista Mala - where ITF is participating in the mine
clearance.
They held talks with representatives of the Knin-based branch
office of the Croatian Mine Action Centre.
During the first stage 90,000 square metres were cleared of mines in
the Croat-populated Cista Velika, and the same was done in Cista
Mala where ethnic Serbs are coming back. Currently mines are being
removed from another 50,000 square metres.
So far about 800,000 US dollars have been spent for this purpose.
Representatives of the ITF and the Croatian Mine Action Centre
praised efforts of Mrs. Linn Montgomery, the wife of the U.S.
Ambassador to Croatia, who helped raise donations for mine-
clearance in the country.
According to Cimpersak, the ITF along with Bosnia-Herzegovina's
Mine Action Centre and the Croatian Centre, is preparing a joint
action for removing mines from the banks of the Sava river. The
project will be forwarded to the European Union.
The ITF has been active for two years and is supported by many donors
and governments of the European countries. So far, they have
invested mostly in mine-clearance in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Recently more donors have said they are willing to financially
assist mine-clearance in Croatia.
In addition, the ITF would like to participate in programmes of
recovery of persons who sustained injuries in land mine blasts.
The Croatian Centre said they possessed reliable data on mine
fields in the hinterland of Zadar and Sibenik thanks to an operative
map left behind the former units of the Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA), which the Croatian Army confiscated during the liberating
operation "Storm" in 1995. Besides, local residents can also give
reliable information.
(hina) ms