ZAGREB, Jan 5 (Hina) - Bosnian Croats have revoked disputed taxes for inspection of the U.N. humanitarian truck convoys, and the relief supply to central Bosnia resumed on Friday, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency said in
Zagreb.
ZAGREB, Jan 5 (Hina) - Bosnian Croats have revoked disputed taxes
for inspection of the U.N. humanitarian truck convoys, and the
relief supply to central Bosnia resumed on Friday, a spokeswoman
for the U.N. refugee agency said in Zagreb. #L#
"Local Croatian authorities (in Herzeg-Bosnia) have revoked
their (Thursday's) decision to impose a tax of 50 kunas (USD 10)
per truck, and the U.N. High Commission for Refugees resumed the
humanitarian supplies as of this morning," a spokeswoman Rajka
Rusan told a news conference Friday.
On Thursday the agriculture ministry in the Bosnian Croat
structure of Herzeg-Bosnia had decided to charge a certain fee for
sanitary inspection of each UNHCR-labelled truck, the agency had
said, adding the scheduled convoys, comprising usually 30 trucks a
day, had been canceled until further notice.
Later in the day the Herzeg-Bosnia's Agriculture Minister
Marko Bozanovic forwarded a statement to Hina saying that "neither
the Government of Herzeg-Bosnia nor its Agriculture Ministry have
imposed any fees on UNHCR trucks or trucks of any other
humanitarian organization."
According to Bozanovic, all goods and trucks entering
Herzeg-Bosnia were being checked at border crossings by
Herzeg-Bosnia's inspectorate. 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 organization 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 inspectorate 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.
The UNHCR spokeswoman however insisted in assumption that the
only reason for the policy was money.
"As a humanitarian agency the UNHCR enjoys free passage
anywhere without paying any taxes," she said.
(Hina) bk
051313 MET jan 96