CARDINAL KUHARIC FORWARDS LETTER TO UN SECRETARY GENERAL

ZAGREB, Nov 10 (Hina) - Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Franjo Kuharic forwarded Wednesday a letter to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali warning him about the tragic position of Croats in central Bosnia. "There can be no lifting of responsibility for the current situation in Bosnia," said Cardinal Kuharic in the letter. "Bosnia is not a place of ethnic or religious conflict but of conflict between evil and good. You are a key to stop killing and suffering of innocent civilians. I beg you to use all your strength on the side of life," said Kuharic. Cardinal Kuharic reminds in the letter that "since the existence of Croatian people as a nation and from the very beginning of Christianity in Europe, Central Bosnia has been one of its cultural centers. At the same time, it is a historical and existing region of Croatian life. Since the beginning of the war, 153 Croatian towns and villages in Central Bosnia have been destroyed and occupied, at least 120,000 Croats had to leave their homes, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed, more than 200 brutally massacred. More than 50 children have been killed." The Cardinal further said that genocide has been performed in four Croatian enclaves in Central Bosnia. He warned that humanitarian organizations did not manage to provide Nova Bila hospital with necessary supplies. Physicians and Franciscan monks founded together an improvised hospital in Nova Bila on 10 December 1992 "to treat equally all people regardless of their faith and nationality". Cardinal Kuharic requested the Secretary General to secure the communication with the Franciscan Hospital in Nova Bila and to name his personal representative to be present at the hospital. 102027 MET nov 93