10TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRAGIC DEATH OF 12 OHR AND UN MEMBERS MARKED

FOJNICA, Bosnia (September 18,2007) - The tenth anniversary of the death of six members of the UN Mission in Bosnia, five officials of the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) and a political and legal counsel of the political mediator in the FBIH entity was marked at the Prokosko Lake near Fojnica Sunday.

The International Community's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak stressed in his speech that those brave people had laid their lives for a noble cause – a better future of Bosnia.

Those who are prepared to do good must pay a high price. These people paid the highest price. They came from other countries to help Bosnia and that is one of the reasons why we will remember them always, Lajcak said.

The FBIH Entity Vice President Mirsad Kebo voiced condolences to the families of those killed, adding that Bosnia would remember people who had laid their lives in an effort to make Bosnia a more stable and better country.

Present at the ceremony were also the head of the EUPM Mission, Vincenzo Coppola, British Ambassador to Bosnia, Mathew Rycroft, representatives of several municipalities from the FBIH entity and members of the FBIH entity’s special police unit led by Dragan Vikic.

Ten years ago a helicopter carrying a Russian crew and 12 UN and OHR members on its way to Banja Luka crashed at the Prokosko Lake,near Fojnica,due to poor visibility and bad weather. Three Russian crew members survived.