BOSNIAN CROATS FORWARD PROTEST LETTER TO IFOR COMMANDER

MOSTAR, August 8 (Hina) - Head of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg Bosnia's government Office for Cooperation with the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force (IFOR), Slobodan Bozic, on Thursday forwarded a letter of protest to the commander of IFOR's Multi-National Division "Southeast", General de Lambert, in relation to the fact that on 2 August IFOR's French soldiers withdrew arms belonging to the Croatian Defense Council from a storehouse of the Jablanica police station. This event called for a most severe protest, Bozic pointed out in his letter, as reported by Herzeg Bosnian news agency Habena. The note says that at 5,30 p.m. of 2 August, members of IFOR's French troops arrived at the Jablanica police station, temporarily situated in Doljani-Sovici, with three tanks and 12 armoured vehicles, and demanded to inspect the fire-arms and ammunition storehouse belonging to the "Mijat Tomic" battalion. After police officers told an officer of IFOR's sixth battalion that two inspections had already been conducted and that the police station's assistant commander should be informed of the opening of the storehouse, the IFOR officer ordered a forced opening. All ammunition and arms were taken out with the accompanying documentation. The former two check-ups had been performed by IFOR's British units from Uskoplje, since it was in their zone of responsibility, and the necessary approvals for the storing of arms had been given, Bozic said in his letter. Such behaviour of IFOR's French soldiers seriously disturbed local population which started to abandon the area, Bozic concluded in his letter of protest. (hina) ha 081828 MET aug 96