IFOR DISCOVERS 3,000 TONS OF UNDECLARED AMMUNITION IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, 21 Aug (Hina) - IFOR members in Bosnia-Herzegovina continued the elimination of weapons which had been discovered in a Bosnian Serb army hidden arms depot near Sokolac on Mt Romanija. The operation would last until the end of the week, IFOR spokesman Bratt Boudreau said, adding that some 130 out of 300 tons of mines, shells and small arms bullets had been destroyed so far. He refuted claims by local Serb authorities that the operation would cause pollution of the environment. 'The operation is being carried out in a completely safe and protected area and it will have no consequences for the environment or water resources', Major Boudreau said. #L# However, he confirmed that IFOR could face similar problems in the near future. At the beginning of this month, NATO soldiers discovered 10 unregistered military facilities and arms depots on the Bosnian Serb territory. According to Boudreau, some 3,000 tons of various ammunition and explosive had been stored in arms depots in the area. IFOR command is considering circumstances under which the ammunition had been discovered and explanations provided by the Serb side. It will soon be decided whether the ammunition will be destroyed or given back to the Serbs. According to the Dayton agreement, all sides in Bosnia were to register their military facilities with IFOR within 180 days from the cessation of hostilities at the latest. IFOR has the right to destroy or seize all weapons and ammunition discovered after that deadline. Spokesman Boudreau added that 102 items of different weapons had been seized from the Bosnian army during the last week. (hina) rm 211305 MET aug 96