MOSTAR, May 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Damir Zoric, on Saturday condemned an attack on two reporters of the Rijeka-based daily "Novi list", which occurred on May 7, near Mostar, southern
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Speaking at a news conference at the Croatian consulate in Mostar, Zoric said he had been instructed by Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic to establish all circumstances relating to the incident. Zoric today also met the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Interior Minister, Dragan Mandic, announcing he would demand that all facts regarding the incident be established. The two journalists, Robert Frank and Ronald Brmalj, were yesterday morning abducted from the Mostar "Ero" hotel by unidentified persons who were wearing civilian clothes. The reporters were taken to a location about 15 km west of Mostar, near Siroki Brijeg, where they were beaten up and ordered to
MOSTAR, May 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Damir Zoric, on Saturday condemned an attack on two
reporters of the Rijeka-based daily "Novi list", which occurred on
May 7, near Mostar, southern Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Speaking at a news conference at the Croatian consulate in Mostar,
Zoric said he had been instructed by Croatian Foreign Minister Mate
Granic to establish all circumstances relating to the incident.
Zoric today also met the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Interior
Minister, Dragan Mandic, announcing he would demand that all facts
regarding the incident be established.
The two journalists, Robert Frank and Ronald Brmalj, were yesterday
morning abducted from the Mostar "Ero" hotel by unidentified
persons who were wearing civilian clothes. The reporters were taken
to a location about 15 km west of Mostar, near Siroki Brijeg, where
they were beaten up and ordered to return to Croatia via the border
crossing Metkovic.
The reporters returned to Rijeka around 8.30 p.m. Photographer
Brmalj said he had sustained a small number of light injuries while
his colleague sustained serious injuries to his hand.
Ambassador Zoric expressed solidarity with the reporters, adding
he was dissatisfied "if there was violence, because it (violence)
is inappropriate behaviour for civilised people".
Zoric recalled the recent banishment of a "Vjesnik" daily reporter
Vesna Fabris-Perunicic from Belgrade and the arrest of Antun Masle,
a reporter for the "Globus" weekly, who is in prison in Montenegro.
Zoric expressed regret that the "Novi list" reporters did not seek
help at the Croatian consulate in Mostar and that they addressed the
public only through their paper.
Sources at the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Interior Ministry
yesterday afternoon said they had not received any information on
the incident.
Because of the lack of information on the incident, Zoric has
requested that the local police regularly inform the public about
the ongoing investigation, so that misinformation could be
prevented.
Zoric said he was told by the Canton Interior Minister that the
police had mobilised all units in the investigation.
He refused to comment on yesterday's statement by "Novi list" that
the attack had political background, as well as speculation that
the police wearing civilian clothes had beaten up the two
reporters.
(hina) rml