GENEVA. July 7 (AP/AFP): The UN refugee agency said Tuesday it is preparing to protect its refugee return operations in Bosnia against outbreaks of ethnic violence if Croatia's football team wins the World Cup.

"We have been doing some contingency planning to safeguard some of our return projects in areas which might be targeted by people celebrating an eventual victory." said UNHCR spokeswoman Judith Ku-min.

A UNHCR water tanker and two buses used to return refugees were destroyed in the southern. Croat-held town of Stolac on July 2 as Bosnian Croat celebrations of Croatia's 3-0 World Cup victory against Germany turned violent. Kumln

said.

Some 200 Bosnian Croats inarched through a street where Bosnian Muslims are rebuilding homes, throwing stones and breaking windows, Kumin said.

Local police were present during the incident but did not intervene in time to prevent the damage. Kumin said.

The Stolac area, located 115 kilometres (72 miles) southwest of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. is one of the worst hotspots of continued ethnic violence against refugees in Bosnia.

Meanwhile. NATO led peacekeepers in Bosnia will beef up their presence in Mostar for the match between Croatia and France, a spokesman said Monday.

"We will increase area secu-awithin the SFOR mandate." Major Richard Saint Louis of the multinational stabilisation force, which has more than 30.000 troops from 38 countries enforcing the peace in Bosnia.

. Violence following Croatia's victory also flared in other parts of Bosnia. In the divided City of Mostar, a 25-year-old Muslim woman was killed and a man was seriously wounded on the Muslim side when they were hit by bullets fired In celebration from the Croat side, Bosnian radio reported.

While an Investigation is underway, the top interna-tibnal official in Mostar Uir Martin Garrod, urged local au-thoritles in the city — still divided between Muslims and Croats more than 2-1/2 years after the Bosnian war ended — to do their utmost to avoid a repeat of the weekend violence.

Garrod held all those who took part in the shooting responsible for what happened.

Spain's contingent to SFOR is responsible for day to day patrols in the Mostar area which lies within the southeastern part of Bosnia that is under French SFOR command.