UNHCR SAYS NUMBER OF ALBANIANS SEEKING ASYLUM IN BOSNIA GROWING

( Editorial: --> 1342 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 18 (Hina) - The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has to date registered 3,372 Kosovo Albanian refugees who are seeking political asylum in Sarajevo, UNHCR spokeswoman Ariane Quentier told reporters on Friday. This number refers only to those refugees who have found temporary shelter in the Bosnian capital but another 800 Kosovo Albanians have arrived in Bihac, Tuzla, Mostar and Zenica, Quentier said. UNHCR has already secured private accommodation for Kosovo refugees but this is no longer possible because of their increasing number. Three days ago, UNHCR turned a former Coca-Cola factory in Hadzici near Sarajevo into a centre for reception and temporary accommodation of refugees. There are 550 people at the centre currently. Between 10,000 and 11,000 Kosovo Albanians have found shelter in Bosnia, Assistant Minister for Civil Affairs and Communications Nudzeim Recica said in an interview with today's issue of "Oslobodjenje" daily. Upon crossing the border, none of them stayed in the Bosnian Serb entity and they are all now on the territory of the Croat-Muslim Federation. According to the international conventions it has signed, Bosnia- Herzegovina is obligated to help refugees. However, the country has no adequate legal regulations on refugee care, Recica said. The B-H Council of Ministers has failed to reach an agreement on this problem since some of its members consider the Albanians refugees while the others speak of them as terrorists. Bosnia itself has about 1,5 million displaced people and is unable to accommodate refugees from the third countries. (hina) rml 181352 MET sep 98