US EMBASSY IN SARAJEVO CONDEMNS DRVAR INCIDENT

( Editorial: --> 9458 ) SARAJEVO, April 25 (Hina) - The US Embassy in Sarajevo on Saturday most strongly condemned Friday's incident in Drvar, western Bosnia. The attacks on Drvar Mayor Milan Marceta and the burning down of buildings and vehicles were senseless acts which did damage to the interests of Drvar residents, Serbs and Croats alike, said a statement from the US Embassy. The United States expects local and state authorities, especially the heads of the Bosnian Croat community, to act quickly and in a responsible manner and punish the organisers of violence, as well as to take measures in order to prevent similar incidents from happening. Those who stand behind the violence in Drvar and a day earlier in Derventa believe that through crime and cowardly actions they will prevent the legal right of Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks to return, but they are wrong. Their return will continue, the statement said. The United States offers guarantees to the Bosnian peoples that the Dayton agreement will succeed and that it will support it, the statement said. (hina) rm 251328 MET apr 98