MOSTAR, Jan 19 (Hina) - Bosnian Croat official in charge for prisoner exchange said that a previously arranged swap with the Bosnian Serbs had failed. "They had never shown up," Berislav Pusic, head of the Herzeg- Bosnia's Office for
prisoner exchange, told a news conference in the southern town of Posusje Friday, referring to the appointment scheduled to take place on Monday, at the village of Bocac, near Jajce.
MOSTAR, Jan 19 (Hina) - Bosnian Croat official in charge for
prisoner exchange said that a previously arranged swap with the
Bosnian Serbs had failed.
"They had never shown up," Berislav Pusic, head of the Herzeg-
Bosnia's Office for prisoner exchange, told a news conference in
the southern town of Posusje Friday, referring to the appointment
scheduled to take place on Monday, at the village of Bocac, near
Jajce. #L#
"We have nevertheless handed nine, out of 162 prisoners, to
the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC)," Pusic said, adding
that the others would be handed over to the ICRC and IFOR today.
According to an ICRC's list the Serb side had reported to
release 35 Croats, Pusic said, adding that the Croat side demanded
a total of 654 persons, missing since 1992.
"Our information says that 72 of these persons were in a
prison in (southern Serbian city of) Nis.
"The Bosniac (Moslem) side currently holds three Croats while
Croat side holds four mujahideen fighters, all of them foreign
citizens," Pusic said.
(Hina) jn bk
191744 MET jan 96