BOSNIA TUZLA GOVERNMENT RELEASE A HUNDRED PRISONERS OF WAR

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(24 Mar 1996) English/Nat • • The Bosnian government released more than a hundred prisoners of war from a jail in Tuzla in partial fulfillment of its obligations under the Dayton peace agreement. • • They are still holding 26 prisoners in Tuzla to the increasing annoyance of the international community. • • The prisoners of war were handed over to Bosnian Serb authorities at an I-FOR checkpoint near Gracanica. • • The Bosnian government freed 109 prisoners of war just before the Saturday midnight deadline. • • They were released from this jail in Tuzla and taken to a waiting convoy of buses and trucks. • • Most of the group had been captured in the final weeks of Bosnia's war last autumn. • • The last in the column was Bolo Misic who was wounded in battle on September the 12th and captured by Bosnian government troops. • • He was treated in a Tuzla hospital and now has a metal brace on his leg so had to be carried to freedom by four fellow prisoners. • • P-O-Ws from all sides were required, under the terms of the Dayton peace accord, to be released by January 19th. • • Although hundreds have already been set free, dozens more had been held back in violation of the peace agreement, to the increasing annoyance of the international community. • • Saturday night's releases were monitored by the International Committee of the Red Cross. • • SOUNDBITE: • It is compliance to the provisions of the peace agreement and its unconditional release of 109 prisoners under the monitoring of the I-C-R-C. • SUPER CAPTION: Laurent Fellay, I-C-R-C spokesman • • More than 50 other prisoners are being held by the former warring parties for possible war crimes investigations. • • SOUNDBITE: • A little less than a hundred people remain in custody, some of them are on suspicion of having committed war crimes. • SUPER CAPTION: Laurent Fellay, I-C-R-C spokesman • • The release by the Bosnian government of these 109 P-O-W's is not seen as full compliance with the Dayton peace accord because they are still holding prisoners in Tuzla. • • Authorities set a new eight day deadline for their release while threatening sharp international economic sanctions. • • But for these prisoners, it was a short 30 mile (46 kilometre ) trip to freedom. • • They arrived at an I-FOR checkpoint on the Gracanica bridge and were marched in a column towards relatives who were waiting for them on the other side of the river in Serb territory. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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