$ SION TO STOP HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS MOSTAR, Jan 4 (Hina) - Herzeg-Bosnian Agriculture Minister Marko Bozanovic today issued a statement concerning a decision by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stop
delivering humanitarian aid because of a decision by the Croat authorities in Mostar to introduce charges for UNHCR trucks. In his statement to the Croatian news agency Hina, Bozanovic said that 'neither the Government of Herzeg-Bosnia nor its Agriculture Ministry have imposed any fees on UNHCR trucks or trucks of any other humanitarian organisation'.
DECI
$ SION TO STOP HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS
MOSTAR, Jan 4 (Hina) - Herzeg-Bosnian Agriculture Minister Marko
Bozanovic today issued a statement concerning a decision by the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stop
delivering humanitarian aid because of a decision by the Croat
authorities in Mostar to introduce charges for UNHCR trucks. In his
statement to the Croatian news agency Hina, Bozanovic said that
'neither the Government of Herzeg-Bosnia nor its Agriculture
Ministry have imposed any fees on UNHCR trucks or trucks of any
other humanitarian organisation'. #L#
According to Bozanovic, all goods and trucks entering Herzeg-
Bosnia were being checked at border crossings by Herzeg-Bosnian
inspectorates. Agricultural products and agricultural production
materials, which were potential carriers of infectious disease
germs, as well as plant and animal pests, were being regularly
checked, Bozanovic said.
'This is preventive checking aimed at health protection',
Bozanovic said, adding that such checks were being charged at all
border crossings in the world.
Bozanovic said he had received a phone call by a UNHCR
official on Wednesday. He had not introduced himself, Bozanovic
said, adding the official had asked from him that UNHCR be freed
from paying preventive check fees, since the organisation did not
have money for that.
'I told him he should send his request in the written form,
with UNHCR letterhead and stamp, and that he should specify what
kind of goods are being transported so that on the basis of such a
request we could give instructions to our inspectorates at border
crossings not to charge those preventive checks', Bozanovic said,
adding the UNHCR official had refused to do so and told him he
would stop convoys.
Bozanovic concluded his statement by saying that the Herzeg-
Bosnian authorities had to know what kind of goods were being
transported on UNHCR trucks, since there had been some cases of
irregularity.
(hina) rm mm
042005 MET jan 96