CATHOLIC PARISH CHURCH IN CENTRAL BOSNIA DEMOLISHED DURING CHRISTM

CHRISTM $ AS HOLIDAYS NOVI TRAVNIK, Dec 27 (Hina) - A Catholic parish church in the abandoned village of Pecine in central Bosnia was demolished and set afire sometime during the Christmas holidays, Novi Travnik aldermen said on Friday. The damage was discovered when exiled Croat parishioners came to celebrate the Christmas mass in their village, situated in the territory controlled by Moslem authorities, on Christmas. The aldermen immediately wrote to Federation President Kresimir Zubak to notify him of the damage and remind him that none of the 3,000 former inhabitants of the parish had as yet returned to their homes. The same was true of other Croat villages in the Novi Travnik area, the letter noted. "The extremist behaviour of our federal partners does not contribute to political understanding and coexistence and is quite at odds with the official views and statements made by Moslem officials," the aldermen wrote. (hina) as 272218 MET dec 96