SARAJEVO, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Red Cross drafted a plan according to which 900 prisoners should have been released on four locations on 15 January. Prisoners are being held in prisons of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croat forces (HVO) and
the Bosnian army. The exchange of POWs failed as only nine people were released.
SARAJEVO, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Red Cross drafted a plan
according to which 900 prisoners should have been released on
four locations on 15 January. Prisoners are being held in
prisons of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croat forces (HVO) and the
Bosnian army. The exchange of POWs failed as only nine people
were released. #L#
The Bosnian government which refused to implement the
plan, is held officially responsible for the failure, as the
Serbs offered to release only 127 prisoners.
At the moment, the whereabouts of more than 24 000
civilians and soldiers are still unknown, according to the
Bosnian government.
"The International Red Cross interprets the Dayton
agreement contrary to the spirit of the deal", said the
Bosnian government commissioner for the detainees and missing
persons, Amor Masovic. He reminded that the agreement
envisaged the release of all prisoners, regardless of whether
they are military members or whether they are on a list of any
of the sides. The Bosnian leadership has firmly decided to
demand from the International Community to fulfill its moral
obligation and answer the question what has happened to people
who went missing when Serbs overran the Moslem enclaves,
supposedly UN safe areas, of Srebrenica and Zepa last summer.
According to the Bosnian government commission for POWs
exchange, since 21 November till 16 January, a total of
418 people have been released in the exchange between the
Bosnian Government and Bosnian Serbs. The Bosnian side
freed 177, and Serbs 241 POWs.
(hina) mm lm mms
161511 MET jan 96