Banjaluka, Fonet. - Hundreds of wives, mothers, and sisters of captured
Serb soldiers gathered yesterday morning in front of the regional
headquarters of the Organization for European Safety and Cooperation
(OESC), and barricaded the entrance to the offices. They demanded
information on the fate of about 1400 Serb soldiers who have not yet been
released [by the Bosnian authorities], in spite of the deadlines set by
the Dayton agreement. The protesters believe that all previous appeals to
Dayton co-signers have been futile, and that the international community
has not taken appropriate steps to find out the fate of the prisoners. The
bias of the international community is also blamed for the fact that on
the list of the International Committee of Red Cross, of 12,000 missing
persons only 350 are Serb soldiers.
The women have not allowed anyone to enter the OEBS building, but no incidents have been reported. They also proclaimed that the protest would continue until concrete solutions are offered. The acting head of the regional office of OESC, Ronald Dryer, met with the women. Arrival of the higher OESC officials from Sarajevo is expected later.