SARAJEVO, July 29 (Hina) - UN spokesman in Sarajevo Aleksandar Ivanko on Monday warned that the past week had brought a dangerous escalation of violence in the Bosnian Federation and that the situation in the field was becoming more
and more serious. Ivanko especially stressed the destroying of a Catholic church in Bugojno, a mosque that had been set on fire in Prozor and bombing attacks in Livno this week.
SARAJEVO, July 29 (Hina) - UN spokesman in Sarajevo Aleksandar
Ivanko on Monday warned that the past week had brought a dangerous
escalation of violence in the Bosnian Federation and that the
situation in the field was becoming more and more serious.
Ivanko especially stressed the destroying of a Catholic church
in Bugojno, a mosque that had been set on fire in Prozor and
bombing attacks in Livno this week. #L#
According to a UN international police report, unidentified
attackers had planted a bomb in front of the house of a member of
the international police in Livno, resulting in great material
damage.
The owner's truck was destroyed and an international police
vehicle was damaged.
Ivanko described the behaviour of the local police in Livno as
unprofessional because they had arrived at the scene with a six-
hour delay.
Another bomb was planted in front of the Merhamet headquarters
in Livno the same day, and the attackers have not been identified.
Head of the UN mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina Iqbal Riza and
international police Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald held talks with
European Union representatives in Mostar on Saturday and Sunday.
The talks focused on plans for the deployment of the
international police in Mostar, in line with announcements of
measures which are to be taken by the international community if
requests on the establishment of authority bodies on the basis of
electoral results are not fulfilled by 4 August.
The final decision had not yet been reached, but plans existed
and the international police would rely on IFOR support, Ivanko
said.
He stressed that the possible international police mission in
Mostar would be based on the existing mandate sanctioned by the
Security Council.
The mandate includes providing assistance to local authorities
in maintaining peace and implementing the law, but without the
authority to arrest or use force.
IFOR spokesman in Sarajevo Bratt Boudreau confirmed on Monday
that IFOR was concerned with recent developments in Bosnia and
stressed that NATO would do everything necessary to keep peace in
the country.
In this light, the possiblility of engaging IFOR in Mostar
should be regarded, Boudreau said.
A representative of the Organization for security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Sarajevo, Joanna Van Vliet, said
that the OSCE was also concerned about the tense situation in
Bosnia and warned that the Mostar crisis should be resolved on the
basis of respecting the electoral results.
On behalf of the UN mission, Aleksandar Ivanko expressed
support for the views on the Mostar crisis which had been expressed
by Carl Bildt's deputy Michael Steiner.
Determined influence was expected from Croatia which could do
a lot by influencing the behaviour of Croat representatives in the
western part of Mostar, Ivanko said.
(hina) lm
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