TENSION IN MOSTAR

MOSTAR, Sept 12 (Hina) - The entrance of several hundreds eastern (Muslim) Mostar citizens into western (Croat) Mostar caused tension in the city, the Western Mostar police said on Wednesday evening. The mixed police last evening noticed a group of armed Muslims on the Croat-controlled territory, while Croat policemen were shot at by Muslims at a checkpoint on the south exit of the city, commander of the Western Mostar police station Marko Radic said, but added that no one was hurt. The tension started during the day when some 100 Bosniak- Muslims from Eastern Mostar crossed into the western part of the city. With shovels in their hands, they crossed some 500 metres along the Fra Ambroz Miletic Street near Mostar's main, Bulevar, street (one-time front line and later division line), saying they wanted to clean their houses. They were later joined by other 100 Bosniak-Muslims from Eastern Mostar. On a request of Western Mostar policemen, the Bosniaks backed some 200 metres, but refused to return to Eastern Mostar, saying they would spend the night there so they could continue with the work the following day. The scene was visited in the evening by European Union envoy in Mostar Martin Garrod and Deputy Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic. According to the Western Mostar police, the atmosphere in the street was tense, but only verbal incidents took place. A group of 200 Muslims from Eastern Mostar, including armed soldiers and policemen, was noticed late in the evening on the territory controlled by Western Mostar Croats, about 300 metres from the division line. The mixed police patrol last evening noticed a large number of armed Muslim soldiers on the Hum hill, Radic said, adding that the Spanish battalion of the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force was informed about it. Radic also said that 12 armed Muslim soldiers were last evening noticed going towards the Croat Rodoc district on the south exit from Mostar, while Croat policemen at a checkpoint on the entrance to Rodoc were shot at from the left bank of the Neretva river. The west European police and the international police forces in Mostar were informed about all that, Radic concluded. (hina) ha jn 121326 MET sep 96