Warnings about "thousands of tons" of surplus arms in Bosnia

SARAJEVO A NATO officer with the alliance's HQ in Sarajevo has said that there were between 13,000 and 18,000 tons of surplus arms and ammunition in Bosnia. U.S. Brigadier General Walter Lord was also quoted as saying that no central register of these armaments existed, and warned about the danger of "abuse". Warnings about "thousands of tons" of surplus arms in Bosnia According to Sarajevo's daily Dnevni Avaz, Bosnia-Herzegovina is for this reason considered "a time-bomb and a place from which weapons and explosives are being smuggled". The recent incident when a wire-guided Fagot missile "went missing" from a barracks in Mrkonjicgrad raised fears, along with uncertainty about the quality of checks in place for the thousands of tons of explosives that are the responsibility of the Civil Protection of the Federation (FBiH) entity. Ballistic expert Berko Zecevic told the newspaper that several years ago some 30,000 tons of ammunition were in storage, but that this included "a considerable amount that is past its expiry date", while at the same time, there was no full control in place when it comes to the situation in the depos. He said that "certain circles, because of ignorance and greed", did not wish ammunition to be placed under control, while "abuses are possible because the depots are guarded by a very small number of people". Zecevic also warned that the explosives entrusted to the Federation's Civil Protection Administration (FUCZ) were not being monitored, and explained that they were mostly collected in mine clearing operations - and "could be used for terrorist activities". "When it comes to mines, nobody is controlling their weight, only their number. You can take the explosive charge out, pour anything back in, sand for example, and the mines will all be accounted for. There's a series of possibilities for abuse," this expert warned. When contacted by the daily, the FUCZ responded by saying that "rules were in place for the clearing and disposal for non-exploded materials". (sxc.hu, stock) Tanjug

Warnings about "thousands of tons" of surplus arms in Bosnia

According to Sarajevo's daily Dnevni Avaz, Bosnia-Herzegovina is for this reason considered "a time-bomb and a place from which weapons and explosives are being smuggled".

The recent incident when a wire-guided Fagot missile "went missing" from a barracks in Mrkonjićgrad raised fears, along with uncertainty about the quality of checks in place for the thousands of tons of explosives that are the responsibility of the Civil Protection of the Federation (FBiH) entity.

Ballistic expert Berko Zečević told the newspaper that several years ago some 30,000 tons of ammunition were in storage, but that this included "a considerable amount that is past its expiry date", while at the same time, there was no full control in place when it comes to the situation in the depos.

He said that "certain circles, because of ignorance and greed", did not wish ammunition to be placed under control, while "abuses are possible because the depots are guarded by a very small number of people".

Zečević also warned that the explosives entrusted to the Federation's Civil Protection Administration (FUCZ) were not being monitored, and explained that they were mostly collected in mine clearing operations - and "could be used for terrorist activities".

"When it comes to mines, nobody is controlling their weight, only their number. You can take the explosive charge out, pour anything back in, sand for example, and the mines will all be accounted for. There's a series of possibilities for abuse," this expert warned.

When contacted by the daily, the FUCZ responded by saying that "rules were in place for the clearing and disposal for non-exploded materials".