ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Members of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) for Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in 320 traffic accidents on Croatian roads from the beginning of 1997 until the end of July of this year. Eighty per cent of these
accidents, 252, were caused by SFOR members.
ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Members of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR)
for Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in 320 traffic accidents on
Croatian roads from the beginning of 1997 until the end of July of
this year. Eighty per cent of these accidents, 252, were caused by
SFOR members. #L#
The accidents caused the deaths of 15 people, heavy injuries to 38
people and 34 were lightly injured, Croatian police public
relations office head Slavko Rako said Sunday.
SFOR members are subject to the legal systems of countries of which
the are citizens, and charges cannot be leveled against them in
Croatia, nor can they be fined due to their immunity pursuant to a UN
Convention of 1946.
However, SFOR members are obliged to respect Croatian laws and
traffic regulations when visiting Croatia, Rako stressed.
Advisor at the Croatian Government Office for Cooperation with the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Marina
Rozic, said there was no standard form for compensation claims, and
most national SFOR components were offering their own compensation
forms.
After the SFOR receives an accident compensation claim, it is
discussed at the SFOR national component whose member took part in
the accident.
If a settlement is not reached, the claim is forwarded to a
permanent appeal commission which comprises two members of the
Croatian public attorney's office, an SFOR legal advisor and a
representative of the involved SFOR national component.
Following a commission decision, an appeal can be filed to the
Arbitration Court. The Court's decision is final and cannot be
appealed.
(hina) lml