ICTY ORDERS RETURN OF WRONGLY ARRESTED TWINS TO BOSNIA

( Editorial: --> 9524 ) THE HAGUE, July 23 (Hina) - A judge at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Thursday afternoon issued an order for the immediate return to Bosnia-Herzegovina of two men wrongly arrested by SFOR yesterday. Judge Fuad Riad also ordered that the Registrar's staff make the appropriate arrangements for the men to be sent back to their place of origin, an ICTY statement said. It was confirmed by ICTY prosecutors today that the twins arrested in Prijedor (north-western Bosnia) and believed to have been indictees Nenad and Predrag Banovic were not the suspected brothers. The Prosecutor's Office also thanked Croat-Muslim Federation authorities in Sanski Most for their quick response in correctly identifying the persons detained by SFOR on July 22, the statement said. "The Office of the Prosecutor also wishes to support NATO efforts in bringing to justice those accused persons who have been indicted by this Tribunal and also wishes to encourage SFOR to continue to take an active role in the early detention of the remaining 27 publicly indicted accused who are believed to be on the territory of Bosnia- Herzegovina," the statement ended. (Hina) mbr 232216 MET jul 98