HAQUE INVESTIGATORS SEARCHING FOR MASS GRAVES IN BOSNIA

( Editorial: --> 3939 ) SARAJEVO, June 26 (Hina) - Investigators of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have commenced trial excavations near Zvornik, eastern Bosnia, at locations where it is assumed that there exist at least 10 mass graves in which Bosniaks killed after the Serbian occupation of Srebrenica are buried. UN spokesman in Sarajevo Aleksandar Ivanko announced on Friday that these graves are located near Hodzici, west of Zvornik. It is assumed that these bodies were actually buried later on in these graves in an attempt to cover the tracks of crimes committed directly after the fall of Srebrenica. Ivanko recalled that investigators from The Hague recently confirmed the existence of 12 mass graves of Srebrenica victims near Cancari, also near Zvornik, so now there are certainly 22 mass graves in this area. In two graves searched through so far, the remains of about 200 people were discovered and some bodies had their hands tied behind their backs which testifies that prisoners were killed. (hina) as bag 261523 MET jun 98