EXPLOSION DAMAGES SERB ORTHODOX CHURCH IN BRCKO

( Vidi vijest: 6106 ) BRCKO, Oct 27 (Hina) - An explosion damaged a Serb Orthodox church under construction in Brcko at 04.00 hours Monday morning, the Brcko-based office of the International Police Task Force (IPTF) said. IPTF spokeswoman Katy Ladun said there were no casualties. Republika Srpska police were carrying out the investigation with the assistance of the IPTF, she said. The church is located in Brcko's neighbourhood of Meraje. According to the IPTF, there were no returnees from the Bosnian Federation to that neighbourhood, and the closest returnees were about two kilometres away. Before the war, Meraje was a neighbourhood with a Bosniac majority. The construction of the church began this year, under a decision of the Serb authorities in the neighbourhood. Representatives of Bosniac authorities protested to the High International Representative against the construction of the church several times and the officer of the High Representative warned Serb authorities about possible consequences of its construction. The church was near completion. (hina) lm 271414 MET oct 97