DISPLACED CROATS PREVENT RETURN OF DISPLACED MOSLEMS

STOLAC, Jan 31 (Hina) - An attempt of nine displaced Moslem families to return to their home town of Stolac (south Bosnia- Herzegovina, under Croat control) accompanied by SFOR troops and UNHCR on Friday failed. Their arrival in Stolac was prevented by about 3,000 Croats exiled from central Bosnia-Herzegovina. The displaced central Bosnian Croats, who are now settled in Stolac, carried placards saying that they were not against Moslems returning to Stolac, but that they also wanted to return to central Bosnia. When the group of Moslems advanced towards the centre of the town, the Croats threw eggs at them. After an hour, the displaced Moslems returned to Mostar. President of the Displaced Bosnian Croats' Association, Stefo Masatovic, told reporters that Friday's incident in Stolac again showed that the pilot project of return of displaced persons could not succeed until everybody who had been exiled from their homes were ensured the return. Four towns in the Moslem-Croat Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina have been included in the Dayton pilot-project of return - Jajce, Stolac (under Croat control), Bugojno and Travnik (under Moslem control). Asked by foreign reporters whether he thought that the project had to begin somewhere, Masatovic said that the start had to happen in the Bosnian Federation Assembly and the Bosnia-Herzegovina Assembly, where laws had to be passed which would enable every individual to return to his home, and not have the international forces force the people's way home. Masatovic added that Croats in Jajce had shown their good will and enabled the return of Moslem families to the town. The leader of Moslem displaced persons, Mirsad Mahmut Cehaic, refused to comment, saying that "what I saw is enough". Bosnian Federation Social Welfare Minister Rasim Kadic and his assistant Damir Ljubic visited Stolac on Friday. The incident was followed by several helicopters and strong international forces. (hina) lm jn 311608 MET jan 97