SARAJEVO, 17 Oct (Hina) - An International Police Task Force (IPTF) beat was attacked by three Croatian Defence Council (HVO) soldiers in Mostar last night, UN spokesman in Sarajevo, Patrick Swanson, told a press conference on
Thursday.
SARAJEVO, 17 Oct (Hina) - An International Police Task Force (IPTF)
beat was attacked by three Croatian Defence Council (HVO) soldiers
in Mostar last night, UN spokesman in Sarajevo, Patrick Swanson,
told a press conference on Thursday. #L#
A truck carrying three HVO soldiers stopped a UN vehicle
carrying two IPTF members (a man and a woman). The HVO soldiers ran
out of the truck and assaulted the woman. International
Implementation Force (IFOR) were informed about the incident and
upon their arrival at the scene of the incident, they arrested one
of the attackers while the two other managed to escape. The
arrested HVO soldier was taken to a police station where it was
established that he was drunk.
Local police and HVO military police are to investigate the
case.
Swenson said that the incident caused considerable concern
because it coincided with the expulsion of a Bosniac family from
their home in western Mostar.
According to Mans Nyberg, spokesman for the U.N. High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 44 non-Croat families had been
expelled from western Mostar since the beginning of this year.
IFOR spokesman Bratt Boudreau on Thursday said that the
Bosnian army had been forbidden to carry out military exercises in
and around Mostar because it opposed military regulations of the
Peace Agreement.
Last Tuesday, Bosnian army members held a military show in
eastern Mostar, which was attended by a high delegation of the
Turkish army.
The ban on military exercises would stay in force for the next
seven days and IFOR members would intensify patrols in order to
ensure that the ban was being respected, Boudreau said.
(hina) rm mm
171710 MET oct 96