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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina begins eliminating 5,760 tons of excessive ammunition

BELGRADE, Apr 23, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Bosnia-Herzegovina began on Monday the process of eliminating 5,760 tons of excessive ammunition, as a part of the ammunition control project by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said reports from the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

"Eliminating the ammunition and military equipment is an important step towards creating safe surroundings in the country, on its way to the Euro-Atlantic integrations," Bosnian Minister of Defense Selmo Cikotic was quoted as saying by the Bosnian FENA news agency.

Cikotic told a ceremony that the project was realized with the donation of Britain, Spain, Holland and the UNDP, which has been the coordinator of the activities at the Pretis Factory in Vogosca in suburban Sarajevo.

Till now, over 90,000 different kinds of weapons and over 700 tons of unstable ammunition have been destroyed in Bosnia- Herzegovina.

However, Bosnia will need 6.5 million U.S. dollars to destroy the remaining 25,000 to 30,000 tons of ammunition, and only the initial stage of the project is expected to cost 1.5 to 2 million U.S. dollars.

The government of Spain donated 400,000 euros (some 540,000 dollars), and Britain 1.5 million Bosnian mark (1.04 million U.S. dollars).

The Dutch government also announced to participate in the project.

The ceremony was also attended by the UNDP residential representative Stefan Preisner, the Spanish ambassador Jose Maria Castroviejo and the representative of the British Troops in Bosnia- Herzegovina Roger Batho, who sent a message of the British ambassador Matthew Rycroft.