International Organizations Condemn Riot in Bosnia-HerzegovinaInternational organizations in Bosnia- Herzegovina Tuesday condemned the riot in Banja Luka Monday, demanding that the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina arrest and punish the rioters, according to news reaching in Zagreb from Sarajevo."The government of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina is totally responsible for the riot in Banja Luka, and the rioters should immediately be arrested," said a spokesman of the Office of High Representative Oleg Milisic in Sarajevo. Up to 14 people were injured, 7 buses and several cars were burnt in the street violence in the Bosnia capital, Banja Luka, when thousands of Serbs tried to prevent the laying of a foundation stone for rebuilding a mosque demolished in 1993. Milisic said that the violence is a matter about whether the Republic's government has the political will to establish a multi- cultural society, in which laws and the principle of free religion are respected. A spokesman of the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Andrew Coxhead, said the SFOR is ready to step in if it is necessary. But he also stressed that peace-keeping, instead of keeping order in streets, is the major responsibility of the SFOR. The government of Bosnia-Herzegovina also voiced their strong condemnation against the rioters. |
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