INT COMMUNITY STRONGLY PROTESTS AGAINST JAJCE INCIDENTS

JAJCE, Aug 3 (Hina/Habena) - About a thousand Muslims who without permission of municipal authorities for ten days stayed in villages around Dnoluka in the municipality of Jajce, central Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Sunday left the area after a protest by Jajce residents, a statement by the Jajce Municipal Council said, as reported by Bosnian Croat news agency Habena. Some 120 Muslims in the villages of Bucici and Kruscica were still waiting for buses, the statement added. The residents of Jajce yesterday quietly protested because of the Muslims' unorganized return to villages around Dnoluka, and because the unplanned return was assisted by the international community which, according to the statement, failed to show up when Croats had to return to their places. Jajce residents today protested quietly again, in Lucina, about four km from the town's centre, at a turn of the Banja Luka-Jajce road towards Dnoluka, the statement said. According to UN spokesman in Sarajevo Aleksandar Ivanko, the large group of Bosniaks (Muslims) who in the past days returned to their homes in villages around Jajce, left the area because of threats made by local Croats. It was as yet uncertain how many Bosniaks were forced to leave the area, he said, adding the only certain thing was that they were headed towards Zenica (east of Jajce). According to the Stabilization Force's headquarters in Sarajevo, NATO soldiers were for the moment only supervizing the situation around Jajce. The office of the international high representative for the implementation of the Dayton Accord in BH today forwarded a strong protest note to the president and vice president of the BH Federation, Vladimir Soljic and Ejup Ganic. In the note, representatives of the UN mission, SFOR, the International Police Task Force, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and UNHCR, said they were appalled to hear about the demonstrations against the return to the municipality of Jajce and the burning of four houses, which led a large number of returnee families to flee their homes last night in fear. There were indications that local police had taken part in the incidents, the protest note said and demanded of BH Federation top officials to immediately order Central Bosnia Canton authorities to reinstate law and order, and stop illegal procedures and reprisals. It was demanded of Soljic and Ganic to create within 48 hours conditions for the fled families to return to Jajce. It was also demanded that the instigators of the incidents be punished, and those politically responsible for the events replaced. International community representatives invited Central Bosnia Canton officials to appear at a meeting to be held in Sarajevo on Tuesday, pointing out it was now necessary to ensure the functioning of joint police forces in the area as soon as possible. (hina) ha 032211 MET aug 97