BOSNEWS digest 459 - 08/11/95

From: Davor <[email protected]>

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory

From: Davor <[email protected]>

BOSNEWS Digest 459

CONTENTS

[01] Bosnian talks may hinge on roles for Mladic and Karadzic

Tue 7 Nov 1995 DAYTON, Ohio

Talks between the warring parties in the Balkan conflict are proving more complicated than ever. The closed door meetings, hashing out constitutional issues involving land and leaders, are focusing on the Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

Milosevic came to the talks assuring one and all that he represents the interests of the political and the military leaders of the rebel Bosnian Serbs. But it turns out that the U.S.-drafted constitution for a post-settlement Bosnia denies any role for those two men -- General Ratko Mladic and President Radovan Karadzic, both of whom are indicted as war criminals. The U.S. State Department claims Milosevic knew that all along.

"Everything in the documents that have been passed over to the parties on Thursday and Friday ... had been talked about in advance," said State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns. "Everything had been negotiated in advance, ... including the question of the makeup of the future government."

Secretary of State Warren Christopher said last week that he could not imagine implementing peace with U.S. troops if the pact included a role for Mladic or Karadzic.

"All I can say is this -- when we deploy, we want it to be to preserve a peace that has been agreed to," Burns said. "And when we deploy, we do not believe that these two individuals should be in positions of power or command positions, as Secretary Christopher put it last night."

That would appear to indicate that Mladic and Karadzic gave Milosevic a proxy to negotiate them out of jobs and into the dock in the Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity -- not considered likely.

To this point, it's hard to see the talks succeeding given the U.S. preconditions, unless Milosevic has secretly promised to double-cross Mladic and Karadzic in return for the Unite States protecting him from potential action by the War Crimes Tribunal.

[02] Perry On Bosnia

Tue 7 Nov 1995 HOHENFELS, Germany

US Defense Secretary William Perry joined US forces in the field in southern Germany to observe exercises intended to simulate conditions and situations they might confront in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The troops from the US Army's First Armored Division and Fifth Corps will make up the bulk of the 20,000 soldier force the US has pledged to contribute to the NATO peacekeepers. The NATO force of about 60-thousand troops is to begin moving into Bosnia by air, sea, and land immediately upon the successful conclusion of Bosnian peace talks underway at Dayton, Ohio. The training exercises include activities as policing military zones, clearing mine fields and confronting urban terrorists.

"I plan when I return to the US to describe to Congress and to the public, the level of training, the level of efficiency which our troops have... These troops are going to be as well trained for a military operation as any troops in history have been.," Perry said.

Perry meets Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev Wednesday in Brussels for what he says will be one last attempt to resolve the stalemate over Russian involvement in Bosnian peacekeeping. Last month in Kansas, Mr. Perry and his Russian counterpart agreed to create a joint non-combat force of military engineers and transportation elements outside NATO to support the Bosnia peacekeepers. But they did not devise a formula that would allow Russians to join peacekeeping operations.

[03] Tuesday's Editorials

Tue 7 Nov 1995

Among Tuesday's other editorial topics is concern that the International War Crimes proceedings in the Netherlands might affect the Bosnian peace talks underway in Ohio. "Newsday" on New York's Long Island has this to say:

"The International Tribunal On War Crimes in Bosnia is about to throw a giant monkey wrench in the clanking gears of the Balkan peace process now underway in Ohio. The absurdity of it is breathtaking. The United Nations Tribunal has made a formal request ... that any peace accord ... be made contingent on the surrender of war-crimes suspects. One such suspect -- ... not yet indicted -- is Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, a key player in the negotiations. Without Milosevic's cooperation, everyone may as well pack up and get the first flight from Dayton."

In today's "Wall Street Journal", there is concern over another aspect of the Bosnian talks -- the ambitions of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.

"Bolstered by military victory and near absolute control over his country, Mr. Tudjman's sheep's clothing is looking increasingly frayed. He has continually threatened to dispatch his forces to recapture Serb-held Eastern Slavonia and has made little effort to hide his ambitions for seeing a good chunk of Bosnia fall under Croatian control. No wonder the Bosnians don't much trust Mr. Tudjman."

[04] Eastern Slavonia

Tue 7 Nov 1995 ZAGREB, Croatia

Mr. Galbraith, the US Ambassador to Croatia, and UN mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg, had unsuccessful talks with the Croatian Serbs last weekend. Following the Croatian-Serbs rejection of the latest peace proposals, US mediator Peter Galbraith will fly to the US Wednesday. The lack of progress at the peace talks in Croatia is expected to be discussed at summit-level negotiations in the US about a comprehensive peace agreement for the former Yugoslavia.

Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has set a November 30th deadline for an agreement for Serb- held Eastern Slavonia to be reintegrated with the rest of the country. The UN peace-keeping mandate in Croatia expires November 30th. International mediators take seriously Mr. Tudjman's threat to recapture Eastern Slavonia by force if his deadline is not met -- negotiators fear a Croatian army attack on the region could lead to Yugoslav intervention.