SARAJEVO, 20 May (Hina) - A center for the removal of mines 'Mine Action Center' was opened in Sarajevo on Monday as part of the U.N. mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
SARAJEVO, 20 May (Hina) - A center for the removal of mines 'Mine
Action Center' was opened in Sarajevo on Monday as part of the U.N.
mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. #L#
The Centre was opened with the help of the U.S. government and
Implementation Force (IFOR) troops. Opening the Centre, IFOR ground
force commander, General Michael Walker, recalled that between two
and four million mines had been laid all over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
'So far we have registered 9,250 minefields in Bosnia-
Herzegovina, but it would be realistic to suppose that this is only
one third of their real number. That is why we think that the
removal of mines is the most important and most challenging task in
this country', General Walker said, adding that since the arrival
of IFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina, nine soldiers were killed and 40
others were wounded by mines. Fifteen civilians were killed and 45
civilians were wounded in the same period on all sides.
The head of the U.N. mission in Bosnia, Iqbal Riza, said that
the training of domestic mine experts would start immediately in
the Centre. The project would be based on the experience of mine
experts from Cambodia, Mozambique, Salvador and Angola.
The Centre will be financially supported by the World Bank,
the European Union, the U.S. and Japanese governments and some non-
government organisations. It is estimated that the whole project
will cost more than 200 million dollars.
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