GUARDIAN STATES FIRE HAS NEVER BEEN OPENED FROM MONASTERY ON E. MO

MO $ STAR MOSTAR, Jan 6 (Hina) - The Mostar-based Franciscan Monastery's Guardian, Fra Ivan Sevo, on Monday replied to accusations by the media in the (Moslem-controlled) eastern part of Mostar which alleged that fire used to be opened from the monastery on eastern Mostar during the war. "Before history and conscience, before the public, being ready to assume criminal responsibility in home and foreign courts as well as in the so-called The Hague tribunals, if necessary, I state responsibly, as the Franciscan Monastery's Head, i.e. Guardian, that no one has ever fired a bullet from the Monastery at anybody during the war," Fra Sevo said in Monday's statement. He wrote that no one had ever been the target of the Monastery, whereas "the Monastery and its staff inside have been targets of numerous bullets of different calibre arms" and added that it had come under fire during the war since April 1992 and even after the Washington and Dayton agreements and other peace accords. The Monastery is placed at the western side of Bulevar Street in the town. (hina) mš 062003 MET jan 97