BOSNIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS APPEAL FOR TOLERANCE DURING U.N. VISIT

( Editorial: --> 5689 ) NEW YORK, May 21 (Hina) - The leaders of Bosnia-Herzegovina's four main religious communities on Thursday visited the United Nations headquarters in New York to issue a joint appeal for tolerance. The Bosnian Catholic news agency IKA reported the religious delegation included Sarajevo Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic, the Reis-ul-Ulema of the Islamic Community of BH Mustafa Ceric, Dabrobosanski Orthodox Metropolitan Nikolaj Mrdja and the head of the BH Jewish community Jakob Finci. During the visit to the UN HQ the delegation was received by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In the appeal for tolerance the religious leaders called on 1.8 million Bosnian refugees to return to their homeland and take part in the building of a multi-ethnic society. On the next lap of their visit to the US the Bosnian religious delegation will visit Washington, where they are due to meet Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. (Hina) mr /mb 212117 MET may 98