MINES FOUND - REMNANTS OF SFOR WEAPONS DISPOSAL OPERATIONS

BRČKO, AUGUST 20 /SRNA/ - Explosive ordnance and ammunition parts found in the wider area of the pheasantry in Brčko were in fact unexploded remnants from the 1990s, left behind after international peacekeeping forces destroyed weapons and unexploded ordnance at the site, officials confirmed to reporters today.

Esed Aletić, head of the Brčko regional office of BiH's Mine Action Centre, said a detailed analysis and field survey had established that the location in the Brod local community, behind the pheasantry, had been used by SFOR in 1997 or 1998 to destroy weapons and unexploded ordnance collected from civilians.

He said three explosion craters had been identified during the survey, while most of the material scattered across the surface consisted of damaged parts without fuses, or fragments that had been thrown beyond the blast site during detonations.

"This is not a minefield that was deliberately laid, which is why the site was not previously included in the `Brčko Without Mines` project," Aletić explained.

Nebojša Stjepanović, head of the Unexploded Ordnance Disposal Unit within the Brčko District Civil Protection Service, said the discovered items were not located within the recreation area itself, but 300 to 400 meters away in a forested area, posing no danger to visitors or residents.

He said teams went to the site immediately after receiving the report and that the PMA-3 anti-personnel mines found there had been examined and could not explode.

"The search and clearance of the area will continue over the next five to seven days. We will inspect the entire perimeter, including the deeper parts of the site, to ensure that the whole area is completely and permanently safe," Stjepanović stated.