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=========================================================
TODAY'S ISSUES==> TOPIC: MILITARY & ARMS Ref: C1QP2524
Date: 01/21/95 From: STEVE SCHULTZ (Leader)
Time: 08:42pm \/To: ALL
(Read 6 times) Subj: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UPDATE
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher sent a letter to
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic on Thursday, stating that
the U.S. must now talk directly to Bosnian Serbs despite a U.N.
Security Council resolution barring such contacts. The letter
states that as long as Bosnian Serbs abide by the cease-fire and
promise to open roads out of Sarajevo, the "Contact Group"
should hold direct talks.
Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic will visit Washington
next week. He is expected to support legislation introduced in
the Senate for the lifting of the arms embargo against Bosnia.
At exchange of 49 prisoners from the Bosnian Government and the
Bosnian Serbs occurred yesterday in Sarajevo. (Roger
Cohen/N.Y.T.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan 22, 1995
=================================================================
=====
"It is not too far from the truth to say that I argued
against Dole," Richard Holebrooke, Asst. Secretary of State
"The latest message from the Clinton administration is,
`Don't worry, we'll take care of you,' but they don't explain
how... My message is: `A few years ago we might have believed
you, but no longer," one Bosnian official
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Copyright Chicago Tribune 1995
Saturday, January 21, 1995 New York
Times News Service
U.S. PLANS DIRECT CONTACT WITH BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS
Secretary of State Warren Christopher has written to the
Bosnian government to explain that U.S. officials must now talk
directly to the Bosnian Serbs despite a UN Security Council
resolution barring contacts. The letter, sent Thursday to
President Alija Izetbegovic and made available to The New York
Times, argues that the cease-fire signed at the beginning of
January has created "a possible opportunity to renew the
negotiations" with the Serbs, "which we should not allow to pass
by." Christopher's appeal forms part of an attempt by the U.S.
to persuade the Muslim-led Bosnian government to show
flexibility over what was once a take-it-or-leave-it
international peace plan for Bosnia-and to abandon its
persistent efforts to persuade Washington to break the UN arms
embargo on Bosnia. But officials said Prime Minister Haris
Silajdzic would make clear on a visit to Washington next week
that despite the pressing advice of the Clinton administration,
he supports legislation introduced by the Senate majority
leader, Bob Dole, calling for the U.S. to rearm Bosnian
government troops. The pressure on the Bosnians has been
applied by Christopher and by Assistant Secretary of State
Richard Holbrooke during his visit to Sarajevo on Jan. 9. Two
senior Bosnian officials said Holbrooke's main message had been
that the Bosnian goverment would be wrong to support the Dole
legislation, which would permit arms sales from May 1, the day
the four-month cease-fire expires, until the peace plan has been
accepted by the Serbs. "It is not too far from the truth to
say that I argued against Dole," Holbrooke said Friday. This
stand has irritated the Bosnian government, which has accepted
the so-called "contact group" peace plan only to see foreign
threats to compel the Serbs to do so evaporate into circuitous
diplomacy. "The latest message from the Clinton administration
is, `Don't worry, we'll take care of you,' but they don't
explain how," said one Bosnian official. "My message is: `A few
years ago we might have believed you, but no longer.' "
PHOTO: Outgoing UN commander for Bosnia Lt. Gen. Sir Michael
Rose bids farewell to Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic near
Sarajevo on Friday. Rose will be replaced by British Gen. Rupert
Smith. AP photo.
Transmitted: 95-01-21 06:23:32 EST
==============================================
TODAY'S ISSUES==> TOPIC: MILITARY & ARMS Ref: C1RQ3464
Date: 01/22/95 From: STEVE SCHULTZ (Leader)
Time: 09:57pm \/To: ALL
(Read 3 times) Subj: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UPDATE
LT GEN Sir Michael Rose, British Army, will be replaced tomorrow
by MAJ GEN Rupert Smith, British Army, as Commander of U.N.
Protection Forces in Bosnia. Rose's greatest achievement may
have been combining the U.N. and N.A.T.O. last February in an
operation that pushed back Serbian artillery from Sarajevo. He
also consolidated the peace between Muslims and Croats in
central Bosnia. But the U.N. has had to shift from attempts to
advance peace to avoiding a worse war, and the U.N./N.A.T.O.
relationship has been greatly strained. Rose was often seen as
aiding the Serbians, and the Bosnian Government and U.N.
relations have been called poisonous. A turning point, according
to aids, was last April, after a Serbian attack on Gorazde that
killed a British officer, for which Rose accused the Bosnian
Government of "folding its defenses." Since then, say aids, he
felt the Bosnian Government was determined to bring in N.A.T.O.
on a larger scale, and he made his mission avoiding that
possibility. Adding to what some have said is a skewed view was
a map of a bombed out I.C.R.C. vehicle on his office wall with
the caption "Nice One, N.A.T.O."; his interpreter, MAJ Michael
Stanley, a Briton of Serbian decent, took to criticizing pease
prposals with plans for territorial division; and Viktor Andrev,
a Russian serving as civil affairs adviser that exerted great
influence, often reminded Rose that the use of force did not
have a place in peacekeeping. Rose also held cool relations with
the U.S., frequently clashing with U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia,
Victor Jackovic. Despite a March 17 agreement to open roads from
Sarajevo, they remained closed today as they did when Rose
assumed command. He will be awarded a fourth star after
returning to London, a rarity in the British Army. (Roger
Cohen/N.Y.T.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 22, 1995
=================================================================
=====
* General Rose leavs Bosnia
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The United Nations commander in Bosnia,
Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Rose, had his last meeting with
separatist Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in the Serb stronghold
of Pale outside the Bosnian capital. Rose helped to broker a
Serb-Moslem ceasefire across Bosnia at the New Year but the deal
was snagged by Serb reluctance to open supply routes into
Sarajevo and by doubts that Bosnian government troops had
withdrawn from a demilitarised zone near the Bosnian capital.
Earlier Rose said goodbye to Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic in Sarajevo, but no statement was immediately
issued. Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic said recently:
"I can only say one thing -- it's better both for him and
for Bosnia that he is leaving." UNRPOFOR
commander-in-chief General Bertrand de Lapresle said on Saturday
Rose had made an outstanding contribution to peacekeeping in
Bosnia. He said that "in spite of the unwarranted criticism of
the Bosnian government, the separatist Serbs and the
international media, General Rose has steadfastly remained loyal
to the principles of peacekeeping, applying relevant United
Nations resolutions with vigour and impartiality." Rose
will be promoted to full general on his return home.
* Croatian Ministers in Mostar
ZAGREB, Croatia
Croatian Premier Nikica Valentic and his Foreign and
Defence ministers, Mate Granic and Gojko Susak are to meet in
Mostar on Saturday with the European Union administrator Hans
Koschnick in an attempt to diffuse a row between the Bosnian
Government and Croats. Koschnick, appointed by the EU to
try to reconcile Mostar's Croat and Moslem population after a
bitter war, accused the Croats of blocking his efforts to
reunite the divided city, return refugees to their homes and
rebuild trust. "If the Croats take the view that a unified city
isn't needed, that there's a desire to remain separate... then
the EU's mission has no point any more," he told the German news
channel N-TV. The delegation, joined by Moslem-Croat
federation president Kresimir Zubak, was expected to force the
Bosnian Croats to toe the line and to stop endangering the
fragile federation in Bosnia. EU spokesman Dragan Gasic
said that "we expect our governments to put some pressure on
Croatia, but Croatia will also have to talk with their kin in
Bosnia." Analysts believe Zagreb's parting from Sarajevo
inevitably brought it closer to Belgrade and say the two must
have struck some sort of deal before Croatia recently decided to
throw UN peacekeepers out of the country.op Zarko
Puhovski, a Zagreb university professor said that "Zagreb's
decision to kick out the UN troops is for me a signal that a
deal with Belgrade was reached over Bosnia. The Washington
agreement was functioning just because the Americans were
throwing their weight behind it. But in practice it does not
work and neither side ever meant it to work."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 23, 1995
========================================
CROATIA
TAKING HIS CHANCES
"If the U.N. forces go and Tudjman moves to take control of
Krajina, the danger is that President Slobodan Milosevic of
Yugoslavia would intervene on the side of the Croatian Serbs.
Worse, that might force him to end his isolation of the Bosnian
Serbs in order to reinforce and resupply Krajina from Bosnian
Serb
territory."
BY JAMES L. GRAFF
With the Croatian national anthem as his fanfare and the stern
mien of a man making history, President Franjo Tudjman
pre-empted the evening news last Thursday with a speech to his
nation. The government, he announced, was ordering United
Nations peacekeeping troops to leave Croatia by June 30 at the
latest, three months after the expiration of the current
mandate. He would thereby evict the Blue Helmet force that has
effectively cordoned off the Krajina region of the country held
by Serbs since Croatia's secessionist war ended in 1991. The
ouster announcement followed a letter he sent earlier in the day
to U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in which he
accused the U.N. Protection Force of being ''counterproductive
to the peace process'' and promoting the Serb occupation of
Croatian territory.
Tudjman's aims are clear. He would like to see the
reintegration into Croatia of the Serb-held areas, and he
regards as an obstacle to that goal the 15,000 U.N. troops
protecting areas of Croatia occupied by rebellious Serbs. The
U.N., in the Zagreb view, has made little or no progress in
disarming the Serb rebels who now control 27% of the country and
has failed to prepare the way for the 400,000 Croats displaced
by the 1991 war to return to their homes in occupied regions.
But by forcing the UNPROFOR contingent out of Croatia, Tudjman
may well be setting the stage for renewed fighting in Croatia;
that could have spillover effects in neighboring Bosnia and even
drag Belgrade into the resulting conflict in support of fellow
Serbs. ''I am gravely concerned about the risk of renewed
hostilities should United Nations peacekeepers be withdrawn,''
said Boutros-Ghali in response to Tudjman's fiat.
Has the impatient Croatian leader overplayed his hand? An
optimistic scenario is that his gambit is intended to
concentrate the minds of the Krajina Serbs and force them into
real negotiations. ''We believe in the peace process,'' says
Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic. ''And we have no plans
for a possible military intervention in the occupied
territories.'' But if the U.N. forces go and Tudjman moves to
take control of Krajina, the danger is that President Slobodan
Milosevic of Yugoslavia would intervene on the side of the
Croatian Serbs. Worse, that might force him to end his isolation
of the Bosnian Serbs in order to reinforce and resupply Krajina
from Bosnian Serb territory. ''If UNPROFOR is withdrawn from
Croatia,'' warned U.N. envoy Yasushi Akashi last week, ''I think
that incidents or accidents may lead to a major escalation of
fighting.''
Akashi also cautioned that the recent truce in Bosnia could be
undermined if ''anything unsettling'' happens in Croatia. That
would be calamitous at a time when a precarious cease-fire that
took effect on New Year's Day still holds. Last week in Sarajevo
outgoing UNPROFOR Bosnian commander Lieut. General Michael Rose
chaired a 10-hour negotiating session that assured open roads
into the city and maintenance of a demilitarized zone south of
it. ''It is a major step forward,'' said Rose, ''a demonstration
by all sides ((of how)) to make real progress down the path of
peace.''
But Rose, who is due to be replaced Jan. 24, must still keep
his fingers crossed. Bosnian Serbs and the Bosnian government
continued to argue over whether the roads can be used by
commercial trucks, which the Serbs contend could smuggle arms,
or just by international-aid vehicles. Beyond that, the question
of an overall settlement looks as vexing as ever.
Representatives of the U.S., Russia, Britain, Germany and
France, who authored the so-called Contact Group peace plan for
Bosnia, met with Bosnian government officials and Bosnian Serb
leaders last week, but betrayed no evidence of progress.
British diplomat William Ehrman insisted that the big powers
''stick to the Contact Group plan,'' which calls for the Bosnian
Serbs to reduce their holdings from the current two-thirds to
just under half of Bosnian territory. The Bosnian Serbs rejected
that plan in August, both because of the particulars of the
proposed divisions and the lack of a constitutional arrangement
that would allow them strong administrative ties with Serbia
proper. While the Bosnian Serbs are willing to discuss the plan
as a starting point, the Bosnian government continues to insist
that it stand as offered to and rejected by the Serbs before.
Watching such maneuvers makes more understandable, at least,
Tudjman's determination to act unilaterally rather than rely on
the international community to broker a just settlement. His
termination of the current U.N. mandate, a Croatian foreign
affairs official suggests, is an attempt to focus the
international community's attention on that problem. Tudjman
would welcome U.N. troops deployed along Croatia's borders to
Serbia and Bosnia, where they would ensure the territorial
integrity of Croatia rather than protect rebel Serbs. There is
at this point, however, scant evidence that his high-stakes
gamble will pay off in a new mandate of that sort. His bold
grasp for change could instead lead to more war.
Copyright 1995 Time Inc. All rights reserved.
Reported by Alexandra Stiglmayer/Zagreb
Transmitted: 95-01-19 09:58:24 EST
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 23, 1995
===============================
A BOSNIAN IN BRITAIN. Janaury 23-28 1995.
The British media produced only news from AFP, Reuters and AP
with no particular comments on the situation in Bosnia. Only
THE TIMES dedicated a whole page to Bosnia on Monday the 16th of
January. Michael Evans ('General prepares to hand over Bosnia
baton') describes General Smith who is taking over the command
of UNPROFOR form General Rose: he "has the same advantages as
General Rose. Although he has not served in the SAS, he comes
ffrom another tough military background in the Parachute
Regiment. He is tall, quietly spoken with a piercing gaze, and
has an independent, sharp military mind." We also find out that
although General Smith was 'one of the key strategic thinkers in
the alied victory in the Gulf War' he was the least known of the
British commanders in the Gulf. 'After his success in the Gulf
War, he won the DSO for his cool command under fire.' Evans
delves into the life story of General Smith, his education and
stresses his commitments to the military ideal: 'his
professionalism, lively humaour and critical attitude to
military dogma quickly brought him to the attention of senior
officers... he won the Queen's Gallantry medal for pulling his
fellow officer free without regard to his own safety and
smothering the flames on his body.'
The same page in THE TIMES brought an article from Joel Brand
('Rose considered showing airstrike plans to Serbs') in Zagreb
rather justifying General Rose's wish for 'co-operation in the
spirit of the cessation of hostilites.' This article is a good
example of the way British media have a tendency of presenting
the conflict in Bosnia. General Rose is the embodiment of the
good and the righteous UNPROFOR who in the spirit of fairness,
is neutral and thus is in conflict with NATO, the biased
organisation which seeks every opportunity to attack the 'poor
people of Pale.' Perhaps, one should also say that THE TIMES is
the paper of the Conservative, ruling, Party which is far more
irritated by, rather than sympathetic to, the Bosnian cause.
On 07 January 1995, BBC2, started a two-part series produced by
General McKenzie on the UN and Humanitarian Intervention. It
was an appaling attempt by General McKenzie to appeal to the
British public for his innocence in the Bosnian conflicts. It
was accompanied by General's views on the UN in Somalia. This
series was directed in a 'soap opera' style and, to a viewer
with some knowledge on Bosnia, held no credibility. It was a
pity that the BBC did not engage in a programme that would
explain to the British public the extent of damage General
McKenzie's words: "all the sides are guilty" had on the Western
policies on Bosnia.
********************************************************
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 17:51:02 GMT
KOSCHNIK TO LEAVE MOSTAR? Hans Koschnik, former mayor of Bremen
and current EU-appointed mayor of Mostar, told Deutsche Welle on
22 January that he regards obstruction by local Croats as the
main problem in implementing the terms of the Croat-Muslim
federation in Mostar. He also warned that he would give up his
mandate if things do not improve. Koschnik recently held
meetings with top officials of the Republic of Croatia,
including the prime, defense, and foreign ministers, in apparent
preparation for meetings with Croatian and Muslim
representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He appears to have
met with the Zagreb Croats first to shore up their support in
his dealings with the Herzegovinian Croats. Hina added that the
Croatian government delegation also held talks with the Mostar
Croats, all of whom "firmly supported the Bosnian federation,"
according to Foreign Minister Mate Granic. Prime Minister Nikica
Valentic added that the Zagreb delegation helped bring things
"one step closer to a solution," Vecernji list reports on 23
January. But he could not accept Koschnik's assertion that the
local Croats were the main problem. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
YET ANOTHER SHIFT IN US BOSNIAN POLICY. The New York Times and
the Los Angeles Times on 23 January report on the latest in a
series of flipflops in Washington's policy toward Bosnia and
Herzegovina, namely, the decision to end the policy of no direct
talks with the Bosnian Serbs and to send a US envoy to Pale.
Ambassador Victor Jackovich, who favors a policy of pressure and
sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his
followers, was recalled to Washington on 18 January, while his
deputy went to Pale for talks the next day. US Contact Group
negotiator Charles Thomas beat the same path to Karadzic's
headquarters on 22 January, where he held talks that he called
"very constructive." US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
had earlier announced the change in policy to the Bosnian
government in a letter saying the decision was contingent on the
Serbs' opening roads into Sarajevo. They have promised several
times to open the routes, but these still remain closed. --
Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
OTHER BOSNIAN NEWS. International media reported on 20 January
that the first Serbian-Muslim prisoner exchange took place under
the terms of the current cease-fire. The Los Angeles Times on 22
January noted that the exchange of 100 people is the first time
one of the provisions of the current cease-fire has been
honored. Meanwhile, in the Bihac pocket, fighting again
intensified over the weekend after a brief lull, while AFP
reported from Tuzla that a controversial Serbian liaison officer
has left the airfield there. The BBC on 23 January ran an
interview with the UN commander in Bosnia, General Sir Michael
Rose, whose tour of duty is about to end. Rose defended his and
the UN's records, noting that they are required to be impartial
while "not being indifferent" to the situation of the Bosnian
government, which is a member of the UN. He nonetheless
repeatedly warned against the "siren voices calling us to war."
-- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
POLITICAL TRIALS IN SANDZAK. The independent Monitor reported on
20 January that since December, "almost the entire leadership of
the Party of Democratic Action for Montenegro (SDA)--20
youngsters from Cetinje and the legislator Acim Visnjic"--have
been sentenced to long prison terms. The newspaper claims that
these are political trials of "foes of the current system" and
quotes the lawyer of the ethnic Muslim SDA as saying the
prisoners have been physically and psychologically tortured. The
sentenced SDA members have been accused of separatist activity,
while the 20 ethnic Montenegrin youngsters from Cetinje were
sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for slandering
Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic. Of the 20, six have also
been charged with obstructing a parliament session. Visnjic, a
member of the extreme nationalist Serbian Radical Party, was
sentenced to five months for publicly "slandering the state and
the president of the Republic of Montenegro."-- Fabian Schmidt,
OMRI, Inc.
ALBANIA TO HOLD MILITARY EXERCISES WITH U.S. As part of its
attempts to prepare for NATO membership, Albania will hold joint
military exercises with the United States from 26-29 January.
The naval search-and-rescue exercise, code named "Sarex '95,"
will involve the US Sixth fleet warship Ponce and six Albanian
naval vessels, 600 infantry, and aircraft. "This is Albania's
first step in the integration towards NATO," Reuters reports
Albanian Defense Minister Safet Zhugali as saying on 20 January.
Albanian already provides port and airfield facilities to NATO
and the WEU. -- Michael Mihalka, OMRI, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 23, 1995
========================================
* Prospects of Peace in Bosnia?
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic poured cold water
on any prospect of new negotiations unless the separatist Serbs
reversed their refusal to accept a "contact group" map requiring
them to surrender territory. "We accepted this plan although it
was unjust by all standards and we still wait for the Serbs to
accept a plan that rewards them," Silajzdic said.
Meanwhile Charles Thomas, a U.S. envoy of the five-nation Big
Power "contact group," had a two-hour meeting with separatist
Bosnian Serb chief Radovan Karadzic in their headquarters at
Pale outside Sarajevo. He expressed confidence after talks that
a recent series of separate consultations with each side would
help revive negotiations on a peace settlement. Bosnia's
government has expressed disappointment at the contact group's
apparent retreat and ruled out new negotiations unless the Serbs
publicly endorse the map. Haris Silajdzic said that "the contact
group has to set a deadline for acceptance. Otherwise we will
talk about this plan forever and that's all in the Serbs favor.
They seek the status quo -- a 'seize and freeze` situation
forever."
* Frontlines, Bosnia and Herzegovina
FRONTLINES, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Zegar and Vedro Polje near Bihac were fiercely attacked
with tank and mortar fire by Serbs from Croatia's occupied
territories, Bosnian Serbs and forces loyal to Fikret Abdic.
The general alert was sounded in Livno late on Saturday
evening. Serbs launched fresh artillery attacks on the greater
Livno area. It was also reported that yesterday Serb forces
fired some 40 artillery shells on the region, causing extensive
material damage. Bosnian Serb forces also attacked the
Teslic-Komusani front on Sunday morning. Small arms and sniper
fire were reported.
* UNPROFOR -- Croatia
ZAGREB, Croatia
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman showed no sign of
backing down from his decision to eject the U.N. peacekeeping
force from his country, a move which the Krajina Serbs say could
ignite renewed fighting. In an interview with the German news
weekly Der Spiegel he said "The Krajina Serbs and the Belgrade
(Serbian) leadership know we are capable of liberating our land
by force of arms. The whole world is behind us in this
question." He added that his government wanted the U.N. force
out and his army stood ready to recover by force the third of
Croatia's territory controlled by Serbs. Milan Martic,
president of the self-styled republic of Serb Krajina, said in
an interview with the Belgrade daily "Borba" that "a decision to
deny hospitality to UNPROFOR cannot be solely Croatia's." Should
the international community... support Tudjman's decision, it
would be the only party to be blamed for a new war." US
Under Secretary of Defence, Walter B. Slocombe briefly visited
Zagreb today while en route to Sarajevo on a fact finding
mission to access the military situation in Bosnia- Herzegovina
and Croatia. Under Secretary Slocombe met with President Tudjman
and Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Susak. Following his
meetings in Zagreb and Sarajevo, Under Secretary Slocombe will
visit Skopje, Rome and Bruxelles.
* Rose is levaing Bosnia today
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
UN Commander for B-H, General Sir Michael Rose is
expected to leave Sarajevo today. He is en route to Zagreb after
having completed his one year mandate. General Rose is to be
replaced by British General Rupert Smith who is expected to take
up his post in Sarajevo on Wednesday after talks with UN
Secretary General Boutros Ghali. Boutros Ghali is to meet today
in Geneva with his Special Envoy for former Yugoslavia, Yasushi
Akashi, peace mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg and UNPROFOR
commanders. They are to discuss the Croatian issue.
* Bosnian Government forces freed UNPROFOR at Tuzla airport (VOA)
DATE=1/23/95 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE= BOSNIA/TUZLA (S
ONLY) BYLINE= DANIEL YOVICH DATELINE= SARAJEVO
INTRO:
BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES HAVE FREED ABOUT ONE THOUSAND UNITED
NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS WHOM THEY HAD KEPT UNDER VIRTUAL HOUSE
ARREST IN NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA. BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES
DETAINED THE U-N TROOPS AFTER U-N COMMANDERS PLACED A BOSNIAN
SERB LIAISON OFFICER AT THE TUZLA AIRPORT WITHOUT APPROVAL OF
THE MUSLIM-DOMINATED BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT. DANIEL YOVICH REPORTS
FROM SARAJEVO.
TEXT:
MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND U-N PEACEKEEPERS DETAINED AT THE TUZLA
AIRPORT BY BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES HAVE BEEN FREED.
BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT TROOPS ENDED THE 13 DAY DETENTION OF SWEDISH,
NORWEGIAN, DUTCH AND DANISH SOLDIERS AT THE U-N BASE -- LOCATED
ABOUT 120 KILOMETERS NORTHEAST OF SARAJEVO --AFTER U-N MILITARY
COMMANDERS PULLED OUT A BOSNIAN SERB LIAISON OFFICER THEY
STATIONED AT THE TUZLA AIRFIELD WITHOUT BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT
APPROVAL.
BOSNIAN PRESIDENT ALIJA IZETBEGOVIC HAS DEMANDED THE REOPENING
OF THE AIRFIELD FOR HUMANITARIAN FLIGHTS BY FEBRUARY FIRST.
BUT THE AIRPORT WILLNOT REOPEN BECAUSE OF THE RELEASE OF THE
U-N TROOPS. A U-N COMMANDER, GENERAL GUNNAR RIDDERSTADT, SAYS
THE BOSNIAN SERBS FORCES IN THE REGION HAVE STILL NOT CONSENTED
TO THE RESUMPTION OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS.
INSTEAD, GENERAL RIDDERSTADT SAYS A COMPROMISE WAS REACHED BY
THE REMOVAL OF THE BOSNIAN SERB OFFICER. AS A RESULT, HE SAYS
THE U-N TROOPS WILL RESUME PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS IN NORTHEAST
BOSNIA THAT HAD BEEN HALTED SINCE JANUARY 10TH. (SIGNED)
23-Jan-95 7:48 AM EST (1248 UTC) Source: Voice of America
============================================
GENERAL ROSE LEAVES UN'S BOSNIAN COMMAND. International media
reported on 23 January that General Sir Michael Rose left
Sarajevo for Zagreb at the end of his tour of duty and that he
will be replaced by his British compatriot Lieutenant-General
Rupert Smith, who won fame in the Gulf War. Rose chalked up one
last achievement before leaving, persuading the Serbs and
Muslims to sign yet another extensive accord. This would reopen
supply routes to Sarajevo for all charities and civilians and
free 600 prisoners by 1 February. Although this involved getting
the Serbs to remake promises they have already broken
repeatedly, Rose was pleased with the agreement. Reuters quoted
him as saying that "it is all pointing to the fact that both
sides see this opportunity as a very real opportunity for
peace... [so that they could] return their people to proper
normalized living as any European country should do." Die Welt
noted on 21 January, however, that Rose will not be missed by
Bosnian government officials and quoted Vice President Ejup
Ganic as saying that "when General Rose goes, nobody will shed a
tear or even shake his hand in farewell." Politika reports from
London on 24 January that Smith can be expected to continue
Rose's policies, which are widely believed in the Balkans to be
those of a pro-Serb British Foreign Office. -- Patrick Moore,
OMRI, Inc.
US CONTINUES TALKS WITH BOSNIAN SERBS. Reuters reported on 24
January that special envoy Charles Thomas held a second round of
talks the previous day with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic
at Pale before going on to meet with Ganic and Bosnian Croat
leader Kresimir Zubak. The Washington Post on 24 January quotes
Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, who inaugurated
the policy of direct talks with Pale last month, as saying that
Thomas talked with the Serbs without the Contact Group allies
present because none of them could come. He added that the
Bosnian government approved of the visit, although the Sarajevo
authorities have publicly complained about Washington's new
policy toward the Serbs. The newspaper points out that Germany
opposed the unilateral mission and suggests that American
domestic politics may lie behind the Clinton administration's
friendly stance toward the Serbs. -Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
SERBS SHELL VELIKA KLADUSA AREA. AFP reported on 23 January that
Krajina Serbs fired more than 200 artillery or mortar shells
around Velika Kladusa in the Bihac pocket. Meanwhile in Tuzla,
Reuters said that the Bosnian army lifted its blockade of the UN
facilities at the airport after a Serb liaison officer was taken
out by helicopter. The Bosnian authorities argued that the man
had no proper business there and that he was suspected of having
committed war crimes. Finally, the UN Security Council voted to
prolong economic and political sanctions imposed on the Bosnian
Serbs a year before, saying that the conditions that prompted
the move in the first place still obtain. -- Patrick Moore,
OMRI, Inc.
SERBIAN UPDATE. "No to Beta" is how the state-sanctioned Borba
of 24 January headlines its report on the decision by the
state-controlled daily Vecernje Novosti to stop using the
services of the independent news agency Beta. In other
media-related developments, on 22 January over 100 independent
journalists, employees of the daily Borba prior to its take-over
by the regime of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, issued a
statement dubbing the recent actions of the regime "despotic."
The journalists on 19 January were involved with registering and
launching a new independent daily, Nasa Borba. Sale of Nasa
Borba has been delayed, ostensibly due to a newsprint shortage.
The independent journalists, however, speculate the want of
paper may be due more to the government's continuing harassment
of the free press, and Nasa Borba in particular, than because of
a genuine shortage. Finally, on 22 January the BBC reported on
mass protests in Belgrade the previous day over cuts in
electricity, a commodity which some analysts as well as
opposition party leaders in Serbia allege is being consciously
rationed by the Milosevic regime so as to export supplies to
neighboring countries. -Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.
EU ACCORD WITH CROATIA DEPENDS ON ITS PEACE STANCE. The decision
to start negotiations for an economic accord between the EU and
Croatia depends on Zagreb's stance on the peace process in the
former Yugoslavia, EU foreign ministers said at a meeting in
Brussels on January 23. AFP reports that the ministers asked the
European Commission to prepare proposals on the accord for a
meeting next month. The decision on whether to proceed will then
be made in March. The EU foreign ministers expressed concern
about Croatia's decision not to renew the UN mandate for
peacekeepers on its territory and asked Zagreb to reconsider its
decision. -- Michael Mihalka, OMRI, Inc.
KOSOVAR POLITICIAN CALLS FOR SUMMONING PARLIAMENT. The leader of
the Parliamentary Party of Kosovo, Bajram Kosumi, called in an
interview with the Albanian-language service of Deutsche Welle
on 22 January for an early meeting of parliament, which was
elected in May 1992 but has still to meet. The old communist-era
parliament continued its work in Macedonia until December 1993
when its mandate ended. Police prevented the new parliament from
meeting and then expelled the legislators to Kosovo in December
1994. Kosumi said that there are no clear concepts on how the
current deadlock in Kosovo can be ended. He also mentioned
"misunderstandings" between the exile government in Stuttgart
and the Coordinating Council of Albanian Political Parties in
former Yugoslavia, a political structure which is functioning in
the role of a parliament. He added that a new government should
be elected and said that the current one is not able to organize
functioning shadow-state structures in Kosovo from exile. --
Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.
===========================================
TODAY'S ISSUES==> TOPIC: MILITARY & ARMS Ref: C1TQ0916
Date: 01/24/95 From: STEVE SCHULTZ (Leader)
Time: 09:15pm \/To: ALL
(Read 16 times) Subj: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UPDATE
The U.S. is sending GEN Frederick M. Franks Jr., U.S. Army
(Ret.) to Bosnia shortly to assist the Muslim-Croat federation
in integrating its armed forces. Franks, 58, who lost his right
leg in combat in the Vietnam War, was Commander of VII Corps in
the Persian Gulf War, and recently retired after serving as
Director of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, Norfolk,
VA. Another retired U.S. Army officer, GEN John Galvin, spent a
period of time last year attempting an integration as well, but
was unable to overcome the mutual mistrust in the federation.
Although serving in different respects, Franks will be
"reunited" with MAJ GEN Rupert Smith, British Army, who arrives
in Sarajevo tomorrow to become Commander of the U.N. Protection
Force in Bosnia. Smith, 51, was commander of the British Army's
1st Armored Division, which fought with VII Corps in the Persian
Gulf War. The two developed a deep mutual respect, and have kept
in contact as friends ever since.
The Bosnian Government and Bosnian Serbs have reached an outline
agreement to open roads from Sarajevo on February 1.
The siege of U.N. peacekeepers in Tuzla has ended. A Bosnian
Serb liaison officer was sent to the airfield in Tuzla as an
observer over a week ago, and Bosnian Government troops confined
peacekeepers to their barracks in response. The Serb officer
left Tuzla by helicopter Saturday, and the siege ended.
U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia Victor Jackovich remains in
Washington, D.C., after being recalled for consultations last
Wednesday. Jackovich says he will remain in the post until his
term ends in May, 1996, but it is rumored that he has been
offered ambassadorship elsewhere. (Roger Cohen/N.Y.T.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 24, 1995
========================================
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Rose on Monday announced
that supply routes were being opened into Sarajevo. The accord
would open supply roads, called "blue routes', in and out of the
city on February 1 for all international relief agencies, four
Bosnian charities and civilian traffic. The UN considered the
opening of the roads as key to a four-month ceasefire agreement.
The separatist Serb official in charge of prisoner swaps,
Dragan Bulajic, said the two sides also agreed to free a total
of 600 prisoners by February 1, Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA
reported. In the Serb stronghold of Pale, near Sarajevo,
USA peace mediator Charles Thomas, a member of the five-nation
"contact group," said his a second day of talks with Serb leader
Radovan Karadzic had been intensive. Asked about
prospects for a resumption of peace negotiations, he said: "I
don't like to make predictions. That's what we are working on
and we are always hopeful." He later met Bosnian
vice-president Ejup Ganic and Moslem-Croat federation president
Kresimir Zubak in Sarajevo.
ZAGREB, Croatia
President Franjo Tudjman met today with Bosnian
President Alija Izetbegovic and Bosnian Federation President
Kresimir Zubak. The meeting took place behind closed doors and a
statement is expected later in the day.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mediators from the five-nation "contact group" launched
a new peace effort in Bosnia Tuesday, encouraged by the opening
of a land route into besieged Sarajevo.
The new peace effort came in the form of two meetings, one in
Sarajevo and one in Zagreb, the capital of neighboring Croatia.
In Sarajevo, envoys from the five nations that drew up an
international peace plan for Bosnia met Tuesday with Bosnian
government officials.
On Monday, the U.S. envoy, Charles Thomas, tried to persuade the
spearatist Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, to accept the peace
plan. After repeatedly rejecting the plan, Karadzic now says he
is ready to accept it as a basis for further negotiations. The
Bosnian
But in an interview in Milan's Il Giornale newspaper leader of
separatist Bosnian Serbs Radovan Karadzic said "we occupy more
territory than we think it is fair to hold...We should be
entitled to at least 64 percent, but we could make do with
less." He added that he had no intention of violating a truce in
place since January 1 but again demanded international
recognition of his self-proclaimed "Bosnian Serb Republic."
Diplomats said changes sought by the separatist Serbs included
a handover of three Bosnian-Moslem enclaves -- Gorazde,
Srebrenica and Zepa-- and the division of Sarajevo into "twin
cities." They also wanted a widening of the Brcko corridor in
northeast Bosnia which forms an umbilical cord between Serbia
and Serb-held territory in east and northwest Bosnia. This wish
list includes access to the Adriatic Sea, under which
neighbouring Croatia would swap its Prevlaka peninsula for
territory east of Dubrovnik to get the city out of separatist
Bosnian Serb artillery range. The USA official said
Washington supported none of these demands. He siad that "the
Serbs are now prepared to use the contact group map as the map
on which they would propose modifications or swaps."
What would the Serbs give the government in return?
"Basically nothing. They say they had 32 percent of the
population but it lived in the countryside and owned 64 percent
of the land and therefore they need more land than their
population would justify," the official said. "At the same time
they want an equal share of industrial facilities,
hydro-electric plants, power plants and so on." The
official denied reports that the map -- originally a NATO-backed
unnegotiable deal but now described as a "basis for new
negotiations" -- had been blurred to appease the Serbs.
Envoys from the "contact-group" had considered setting a
deadline for Serb acceptance of the map but were divided on how
to enforce it.
WASHINGTON, United States
According to White House spokesperson Mike McCurry, the
United States has not changed its policy on Bosnia and
Herzegovina in spite of engaging in direct talks with Bosnian
Serbs. Mr McCurry added that the Contact Group ministers agreed
last December to increase diplomatic efforts in order to end the
fighting in B-H. Another State Department spokesperson
Christine Shelly rejected an account in The New York Times that
Thomas' trip marked a sharp policy shift that drew objections
from the USA ambassador, Victor Jackovich, and conflicted with a
UN resolution requiring the Serbs to accept the peace plan prior
to any political talks. Jackovich has been recalled to
Washington, but Ms. Shelly said the purpose was to make
preparations for a visit later in the week by Bosnian Prime
Minister Haris Silajdzic. She said Jackovich probably would
return to Sarajevo. Secretary of State Warren Christopher
wrote the government last week, saying USA officials would
pursue contacts with the Serbs. Ms. Shelly declined to say
whether Christopher had assured Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic in the letter that the United States would hold
talks with the Serbs only if they opened roads to Sarajevo.
However, the spokeswoman said opening the roads was a USA
priority.
FRONTLINES, Bosnia and Herzegovina
UN military observers yesterday reported fresh attacks
by Abdic's forces and Serbs from Croatia's UNPAs on Bosnian Army
positions south-east of Velika Kladusa. Garry Coward, the UN
spokesman in Sarajevo, said the UN observers registered 279
artillery explosions and 179 bursts of small arms fire in 10
hours on Monday around Velika Kladusa. Conflicts were reported
in the Bihac area, with the villages of Vedro Polje, Klokoc and
Zegar being the hardest hit. Coward said there was more gunfire
along confrontation lines west of the Bihac town "safe area" in
the south of the mainly Moslem enclave, calling it "quite an
active day." He also reported four other cease-fire violations
throughout Bosnia, two of them in Sarajevo and Ribnica, near the
main road between Sarajevo and Tuzla in the northeast.
Cease-fire violations were reported overnight by HVO forces on
the Orasje-Bosanski Samac front. Small arms fire from Lepnica
and Batkusa targeted the eastern and western sections of the
battlefront.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
General Rupert Smith will assume his post today as
UNPROFOR commander for Bosnia-Herzegovina, replacing General
Michael Rose. Upon departure General Michael Rose spoke with
journalists, evaluating the continuation of humanitarian aid for
civilians and the creation of conditions for peace talks as the
most important success of his mandate.
MOSTAR, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Major of "West" Mostar, Mijo Brajkovic, has warned
that unilateral statements made by EU officials in Mostar in
which they blame the Croatian side exclusively for the
deteriorating situation in Mostar could cause dissatisfaction
with the EU administration among the civilian population. He
added that the diplomatic capabilities of the European Union are
in question and that it is not the Croatian side which is
halting the peace process.
GENEVA, Switzerland
UN chief to discuss Yugoslavia with aides
UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali will meet his
top political and military aides for former Yugoslavia on
Tuesday to discuss the future of operations there. Attending the
meeting will be UN mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg and
Boutros-Ghali's special representative in the former Yugoslavia
Yasushi Akashi. From the military command, French
Lieutenant-General Bertrand de Lapresle, chief of the UNPROFOR,
will be present together with his designated successor, French
Lieutenant-General Bernard Janvier who takes over on March 1.
Also at the meeting will be Michael Rose, former UNPROFOR
commander in Bosnia and his successor, Major-General Rupert
Smith. Diplomats said the discussion was likely to focus
on the situation in Bosnia and the fragile ceasefire in
operation since the New Year. It was also likely to cover the
future of Serb-held areas of Croatia.
KARLOVAC, Croatia
Following a press conference in Karlovac yesterday,
UNPROFOR officials announced that the Adriatic Oil Pipeline
which passes through Sector West could be reopened within six
days. Croatian experts met this morning with local Serb
representatives in Petrinja regarding the reopening of the
Adriatic Oil Pipeline running through UNPA Sector North. Talks
are focusing on the inspection of the pipeline equipment in
Hrastovica and Prekopa near Glina, in Satornja near Topusko, in
Vrginmost, Vojnic and Krnjak.
=============================================================
TODAY'S ISSUES==> TOPIC: MILITARY & ARMS Ref: C1VR1569
Date: 01/26/95 From: STEVE SCHULTZ (Leader)
Time: 10:26pm \/To: ALL
(Read 1 times) Subj: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UPDATE
Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic agreed Tuesday that the peace
plan put forward by the "Contact Group", originally as not
subject to change, could serve as a "basis for negotiations"
with Bosnian Serbs, who had said that accepting that language
was a condition for renewing talks. Ganic also repeated that the
plan must be signed before any changes are made. (A.P./N.Y.T.)
======================================================
TODAY'S ISSUES==> TOPIC: MILITARY & ARMS Ref: C1VR3084
Date: 01/26/95 From: STEVE SCHULTZ (Leader)
Time: 10:51pm \/To: ALL
(Read 0 times) Subj: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UPDATE
Members of the "Contact Group" broke off their mission to Bosnia
yesterday, accusing the Bosnian Serbs of blocking the way to
restarting talks after they failed to persuade them to give
explicit backing to a peace plan.
Fighting intensified yesterday near Velika Kladusa.
(Reuters/N.Y.T.)
==============================================
OMRI DAILY DIGEST No. 19, Part I and II, 26 January 1995
(recompiled for BosNews)
==============================================
CONTACT GROUP WON'T TAKE SERBS' 'NO' FOR AN ANSWER. Reuters
reports on 26 January that the U.S., British, and French
diplomats from the international Contact Group have reversed
plans to leave Bosnia and are staying on for more talks. They
originally wanted to leave after the Serbs refused again to
accept the current peace plan as the basis for a settlement. The
German and Russian representatives have left for previous
engagements, and it is unclear whether their governments agreed
to continue the talks. The Serbs appear willing to talk with an
open agenda but balk at the idea of first "accepting" the plan,
although the Contact Group has assured them that nothing is
binding until a final settlement is signed. Bosnian President
Alija Izetbegovic, however, wants a deadline imposed on the
Serbs to accept the project. He says the Serbs should have two
months to say "yes," plus an additional month for final talks,
the Los Angeles Times reports. That would mean a deadline of
around 1 May, when the current cease-fire is slated to expire.
The Frankfurter Rundschau nonetheless says the Contact Group's
negotiations have reached "a dead-end street." - Patrick Moore
OTHER BOSNIAN NEWS. The BBC reported on 25 January that Bosnian
government negotiators are boycotting a meeting slated for 26
January to discuss implementing the cease-fire agreement. They
are protesting a lack of progress toward implementing the pact's
provisions, but UN spokesmen charged that the Muslims' action
will hold up progress even more. Meanwhile in Bihac, news
agencies note further heavy shelling of government positions by
Krajina Serbs and forces loyal to local kingpin Fikret Abdic.
Hina on 24 January reported that Serbs are continuing to expel
Croats and Muslims from the Banja Luka area and have arrested 21
mainly elderly Croats near Livno and apparently taken them to
the Kamenica detention camp. Finally, dpa on 26 January reports
on the plight of seriously ill children in Sarajevo who cannot
be evacuated for treatment because of a lack of money. - Patrick
Moore
CROATIA AND BOSNIA CALL FOR US MEDIATION. AFP reports on 26
January that the Zagreb and Sarajevo governments have asked
Washington to set up a three-way meeting to discuss problems in
implementing the CroatianMuslim federation. Elsewhere, Reuters
and Croatian media announce that the newly repaired Adria
pipeline connecting the Croatian coast with Central Europe is
slated to start pumping oil again. Hungary and the Czech
Republic are expected to be the big beneficiaries of the
reopening, which is the result of last month's Croatian-Serbian
economic agreement. Croatia will profit mainly from transit
fees. Hina reports that Milorad Pupovac has announced that a new
ethnic Serbian party in Croatia, the Independent Serbian Party
(SSS), will be founded on 29 January. Pupovac is a professor and
a prominent figure among those Serbs living in areas under
Croatian government control. The SSS is the latest in a series
of his efforts to establish strong Serbian representation in
what most Serbs regard as a repressive atmosphere. - Patrick
Moore
------
The OMRI Daily Digest offers the latest news from the former
Soviet Union and East-Central and Southeastern Europe. It is
published Monday through Friday by the Open Media Research
Institute. The Daily Digest is distributed electronically via
the OMRI-L list. To subscribe, send "SUBSCRIBE OMRI-L
YourFirstName YourLastName" (without the quotation marks and
inserting your name where shown) to LISTSERV@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU
No subject line or other text should be included. The
publication can also be obtained for a fee in printed form by
fax and postal mail. Please direct inquiries to: Editor, Daily
Digest, OMRI, Na Strzi 63, 14062 Prague 4, Czech Republic or
send e-mail to: omripub@omri.cz
Telephone: (42 2) 6114 2114 Fax: (42 2) 426 396
------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
B o s N e w s - Jan. 26, 1995
========================================
FRONTLINES, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Six shells, fired by separatist Bosnian Serbs, hit the
Bihac town "safe area" in northwestern Bosnia on Thursday. UN
said that one civilian was injured. Paul Risley, Un
spokesperson said that "between 4 and 6 am (0300 and 0500 GMT)
there were six shells reported impacting within the town of
Bihac, within the 'safe area'." This was the first attack
on the UN-declared "safe area" of Bihac town since the weekend
before last, when seven civilians were killed by Serb shells.
Risley said more shells were fired from what were believed
to be Serb positions in Serb-occupied parts of Croatia into the
area of Coralici in the middle of the Bihac enclave. The
shelling followed a day of heavy fighting both around Bihac in
the south of the enclave, and the town of Velika Kladusa in the
north, where 316 detonations were recorded on Wednesday.
UN -- Bosnia Pullout GENEVA, Switzerland
UN Secretary Boutros-Ghali said Wednesday that plans are being
drawn up to withdraw the 32,000 peacekeepers in Bosnia and
Croatia.
Boutros-Ghali discussed the options at a meeting Tuesday with
top civilian and military advisors, including the former
UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia, Lt. Gen. Michael Rose, and his
successor, Lt. Gen. Rupert Smith.
"There is consensus that the withdrawal from Croatia will be a
disaster," he told a news conference. He added "Bosnia is a
landlocked country and we need the Croatian coast, the airport
of Split and the troops in Croatia to sustain the presence of
the troops in Bosnia."
He said the new contingency plans would be ready in several
weeks and that the NATO military alliance would feature strongly
in any eventual withdrawal.
Boutros-Ghali said he hoped a negotiated settlement could be
found before the end of March that would enable the peacekeepers
to stay.
US Will Cut Contribution to UN WASHINGTON, USA
The influential Republican head of the House
Appropriations Committee, Bob livingston, said Wednesday the USA
contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations will be one of
the first targets for savings. The State Department
strongly protests the move, which it charges will "harm American
interests," by either stopping USA contributions to peacekeeping
altogether or forcing the United States to stop its support of
other UN resolutions. The move against USA contributions
to the UN peacekeeping effort is one of the new Republican
majority's goals for the first 100 days of the congressional
session. The Republican "Contract with America" holds
that USA contributions should not be more than 25 percent of the
total cost of UN peacekeeping operations. Under the present
formula, Washington will contribute about $1 billion this year
to the UN's $3.6 billion peacekeeping budget. UN
Ambassador Madeleine Albright told a closed hearing of the House
of Representatives International Relations Committee last week
that this could wipe out almost all remaining UN peacekeeping
funds.
--------
BosNews and BosNet-B are computer mailing lists/forums run by
volunteers. Its goals are to present and distribute information
relevant to the events affecting various aspects of life
in/about the Republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina.
BosNews/BosNet-B materials are distributed free of charge to the
subscribers for educational, informative, research and/or
participative purposes. The source of the original article is
indicated and proper credit given, when and where applicable.
Original materials such as research studies, opinions, and
similar periodically published on BosNews/BosNet-B (ONASA -
Oslobodjenje Sarajevo News Agency newswire, for example), should
also contain the appropriate credit and source when further
distributed.
Opinions expressed/published on BosNews/BosNet-B do NOT
necessarily always reflect the views of (all of the members of)
Editorial Board, and/or moderators.
Zeljko Bodulovic <ZelB@dwe.csiro.au>
Davor Wagner <DWagner@mailbox.syr.edu> Nermin Zukic
<N6Zukic@sms.business.uwo.ca>
---------
=======================================
TUDJMAN CONFIDENT OF NO WAR WITH SERBIA . . . Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman, in an unusually blunt and informal interview
with Der Spiegel on 23 January, says he feels that Serbia is
unable or unwilling to risk a new war with his country. Tudjman,
who recently decided not to renew UNPROFOR's mandate, says the
West will back his efforts to "liberate" Croatian territory,
especially in view of the fact that "the Western world is
willing to tolerate Yeltsin's settling accounts with the
Chechens." Tudjman has no regrets about UNPROFOR's departure
because its role has been "counterproductive." Turning to one of
his favorite themes--namely, the age-old demarcation lines
between civilizations in the Balkans--the president argues that
it is in Europe's interest to prevent the establishment of a
purely Muslim state in the region. He also notes that the
Croatian-Muslim federation ensures Bosnia will not become a
bastion of fundamentalism. Referring to the frontier between
Roman Catholicism and eastern Orthodoxy, Tudjman stresses that
old divisions need not stand in the way of new peace and
prosperity, as Germany and France proved after World War II. --
Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
. . . BUT MILOSEVIC SUGGESTS OTHERWISE. The BBC on 25 January,
however, quotes a statement by Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic warning that the departure of UNPROFOR from Croatia
could have "unforeseeable consequences." The Serbian media and
politicians from Krajina and Pale have expressed similar fears
since the Croats announced their decision. Some Serbian sources
have even suggested that Croatia is itching for a fight. But
Zagreb has stressed it wants a peaceful solution to what it
calls "the reintegration of the occupied territories." It even
argues that UNPROFOR's departure will "give a fresh and strong
impetus to the negotiating process," Hina quotes Foreign
Minister Mate Granic as saying on 24 January. Granic is slated
to go to Belgrade in mid-February for talks on normalizing
relations between Croatia and rump Yugoslavia, The Washington
Post noted on 24 January. Meanwhile, Hina reports that Croatia's
Defense and National Security Council backed the decision to end
UNPROFOR's mandate, although it adds that "Croatia is willing to
consider the participation of the international community in
monitoring the process of peaceful reintegration." -- Patrick
Moore, OMRI, Inc.
CONTACT GROUP WOOS PALE. The Los Angeles Times on 25 January
reports that diplomats from the five-country negotiating team
"rushed to rebel [Serb] headquarters" but "there were no
immediate reports of success in their attempts to persuade the
Serbs to accept a peace plan for divvying up Bosnian territory."
Negotiations continued the same day on the terms for reopening
the "blue routes" to Sarajevo. One Bosnian official doubted that
the Serbs would observe their pledges to open the roads, adding
"we already have 10,000 signatures and not a single agreement
has been obeyed. Does the world have amnesia?" Reuters,
meanwhile, quoted Vice President Ejup Ganic as stressing that
the Serbs must accept the current peace plan before talks can
begin. But the report noted that the Serbs "are shy of the word
'acceptance.'" -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
TUDJMAN AND IZETBEGOVIC MEET IN ZAGREB. Vjesnik on 25 January
reports that the Croatia and Bosnian presidents met the previous
day to discuss developments in their respective republics and
problems regarding the setting up of the Croatian-Muslim
federation in Bosnia. Vecernji on 25 January reported on the
concrete issues facing the federation in Mostar, which just
marked six months under EU administration. Interviews with the
respective mayors of the Croatian and Muslim halves of the city
illustrate the differences in positions: the Croatian mayor
calls for political issues to be settled at the top level before
progress can be made in the city, but his Muslim counterpart
feels that Mostar should be a "pilot project for the
federation." -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.