INT. OFFICIAL CONDEMNS MOSTAR VETERANS' THREATS AGAINST REPORTERS

MOSTAR, Nov 22 (Hina) - The head of the Mostar-based OSCE branch office, Gary Matthews on Monday evening deplored threats which the Mostar Croat war veterans' association (HVIDRA) issued against three reporters - Blazica Kristo, Marija Topic-Crnoja and Pejo Gasparevic - who last week attended and made reports from a seminar organised by the Independent Media Commission (IMC). Last week, the Mostar-based HVIDRA reproached the above-mentioned journalists for having attended the seminar, and described their coverage of that event as "their betrayal of Croat interests in Bosnia-Herzegovina." The Independent Commission held the seminar in Mostar following a decision on a ban on the broadcasting of all programmes of the Mostar television station called "Erotel". The association of Croat journalists in Bosnia-Herzegovina issued an open letter last weekend refuting HVIDRA's criticism, and accentuating that reporters "were only doing their job and thus they could not betray the Croat interests in Bosnia-Herzegovina." Ambassador Matthews said in a statement that those distinguished reporters, just as all others, have the basic freedom, so important in any democracy, to carry out their profession without fear from threats and attempts to intimidate them. He added that the freedom of the media is one of the most important elements in the democratisation process. Matthews described the threats uttered by HVIDRA as irresponsible and unacceptable. (hina) ms