$40 MILLION MORE NEEDED TO COMPLETE REMOVAL OF MINES IN BOSNIA

( Editorial: --> 8030 ) SARAJEVO, July 16 (Hina) - Representatives of the United Nations Mine Action Centre on Thursday handed over administration of the Sarajevo facility to Bosnia-Herzegovina authorities. High ranking UN mission and BH Council of Ministers officials were on hand to see the official transfer of the centre which was established two years ago with the organisational and financial support of the international community. UN mission to BH chief Elizabeth Rehn said that during 1997, 6.7 million square metres of land had been cleared of mines, as well as 3,144 homes or flats. However, it will take a lot more time to complete the work and the international community's support will be needed for many years, she added. Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic appealed to countries which had helped in the mine clearing process up to now to continue their support, because otherwise there would be no economic revival in the country or return of refugees. This year about nine million square metres of land and about 4,000 homes and flats are to be to cleared of mines, Prlic said. Currently about 1,300 people are engaged in this work. According to UN data, about 200 people have been killed from hidden mines since the end of the war in Bosnia in 1995, while another 1,000 have been heavily or lightly injured. It is believed that the mine fields, largely planted along former front lines, hide at least another million different mines. It has been assessed that about $40 million is needed to complete the process of their removal. (Hina) mbr jn /rml 161715 MET jul 98