UNHCR IN BOSNIA HELPING REFUGEES FROM KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 4339 ) SARAJEVO, Aug 18 (Hina) - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered 1,100 refugees from Kosovo who have been accommodated in Bosnia-Herzegovina. UNHCR spokeswoman in Sarajevo, Arianne Quentier, said on Tuesday that those were refugees who had requested the help or protection from this organisation. This does not mean that this figure is complete. It could only represent the tip of the iceberg, she said. Refugees from Kosovo who cannot leave or third countries have only the right to seek political asylum in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Quentier said. The UNHCR in Bosnia-Herzegovina is at the moment providing shelter to about 300 refugees, while it has found private accommodation for about a hundred more refugees. Local authorities have opened transit centres for Kosovo Albanians, one in Sarajevo and the other in Bosanski Petrovac. According to incomplete data available to the Bosnian Federation Ministry for Refugees and Social Politics, the number of Kosovo refugees is reaching 5,000. Most of them are not registered as they have been accommodated with relatives or friends. (hina) lml 181339 MET aug 98