|
|
|
BosNet REPORT / March 12, 1996
Subject: BosNet REPORT / March 12, 1996
HERE ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE DIPLOMATIC FRONT AND ON THE GROUND IN
THE BALKANS, COURTESY OF A MONDAY, MARCH 11 REPORT FROM THE BALKAN INSTITUTE:
THE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED yesterday that details of a $100 million
assistance package for the Bosnian Federation's armed forces would be
provided at an international conference to be held Friday in Ankara. The U.S.
and Turkey will co-host the conference. Participants are to pledge military
funds and equipment for the Federation. Since the EU opposes military
assistance to the Federation, the conference is likely to be dominated by the
U.S. and Muslim countries. Prospective EU-member- and many other European
states are expected to follow the EU's lead and bypass the meeting. The
Administration has pledged to lead an international effort to provide
training and arms to the Federation, but U.S. officials warn that the program
will not be allowed to proceed until an estimated 100-200 Iranian advisors
and other foreign volunteers assisting the Bosnian Army leave Bosnia.
Foreigners aiding Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serb forces, including regular
Croatian and Serbian army personnel, also reportedly remain in Bosnia. The
presence of such personnel after January 13 violates the Dayton Accords. On
Friday, the House of Representatives voted to make Bosnia's receipt of $200
million in non-military aid conditional upon Sarajevo's compliance with the
Accords' demands that all foreign fighters leave Bosnia. The provision is
part of the continuing resolution on the federal budget. In spite of the
Congress' imposition of this condition, Administration predictions of
Congressional opposition to the aid package seem to have been unfounded.
Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole said Saturday that Federation forces
should be trained and armed to be able to defend themselves before U.S.
troops withdraw from Bosnia.
ON WEDNESDAY, THE ADMINISTRATION ENDORSED guidelines proposed last Monday by
NATO ambassadors for a more active IFOR role in Bosnia. NATO officials
stressed, however, that the guidelines do not represent a fundamental change
in IFOR's policies. The proposal covers activities such as protecting
suspected war crimes sites, apprehending indicted war criminals, organizing
elections, and resettling refugees that IFOR has resisted undertaking. All
IFOR participants except Russia have approved a separate memorandum of
understanding clarifying procedures for apprehending war criminals and
transferring them to the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal.
VIOLENCE AND LAWLESSNESS ESCALATED IN SERB-HELD SECTIONS OF SARAJEVO due to
be transferred to Bosnian Federation control. Federation police deployed to
Hadzici on Wednesday and will deploy to Ilidza today. Approximately 2500
persons have registered with UNHCR to remain in Ilidza, where numerous fires
have been set and Serbs and others who want to remain have been harassed by
Bosnian Serb forces, who have abducted at least two persons and killed one.
UNHCR estimated Tuesday that only 13,000 of approximately 70,000 Serbs in the
occupied and formerly-occupied areas of Sarajevo remain. IFOR has refused to
establish a curfew in the areas, but will reportedly increase patrols. French
forces have taken limited measures to rescue persons from fires and have
moved to secure Ilidza's town hall and police station. On Saturday,
Federation firefighters agreed to operate, under IFOR protection, in areas
still controlled by Serbian "police." In violation of the Dayton Accords,
Bosnian Serb forces have recently detained more than 20 persons in the
Posavina corridor and near Doboj. On Tuesday, U.N. officials retracted an
earlier report regarding 160 incidents of Bosnian Serb forces expelling
non-Serbs from Banja Luka.
APPROXIMATELY 20 BOSNIAN CROAT "POLICE" entered Hadzici Tuesday without
proper authorization and refused to leave until the IPTF threatened to call
on IFOR to evict them forcibly. The move, which occurred the day before the
official Federation deployment, was ordered by Federation Deputy Interior
Minister Jozo Leutar, a Bosnian Croat, in violation of agreements with the
IPTF and in defiance of Interior Minister Avdo Hebib, a Muslim. Leutar and
other Bosnian Croats objected to the fact that only 5 of the 70 Federation
police deployed to Hadzici were ethnic Croats. That number, however, was the
subject of a previous agreement and is representative of the pre-war local
population. Leutar said Friday he would not take such action again but did
not regret his original decision. He also claimed that there are still two
interior ministries within the Federation.
THE U.N. WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL Thursday requested that Serbia extradite two
soldiers in the Bosnian Serb forces to The Hague. Drazen Erdemovic, an ethnic
Croat who recently told journalists that he participated under orders in
massacres of non-Serbs after the fall of Srebrenica, and Radoslav Kremenovic
were arrested by Serbian police in Serbia last Sunday. U.S. officials suspect
the arrests were an attempt by Belgrade to prevent the two from testifying
before the Tribunal. Erdemovic had reportedly told a French journalist that
he wanted to testify. Serbian authorities claim to have initiated their own
investigation of the actions of the two. The Administration has demanded that
Serbian authorities protect the men and transfer them to the Tribunal. On
Friday, the Tribunal reaffirmed its indictment of Croatian Serb leader Milan
Martic and issued an international warrant for his arrest.
U.S. ENVOY ROBERT FROWICK, chief of the OSCE mission to Bosnia, warned
Wednesday that Bosnia-wide elections, due between June and September, may not
be held on schedule. He is preparing a report on major obstacles, including
inadequate media access for political parties and the inability of refugees
to return.
EU FOREIGN MINISTERS INFORMALLY AGREED Sunday to extend the EU's
administration of Mostar for six months after July. The decision is expected
to be confirmed on March 25.
The ACSB Bosnia Hotline is updated weekly, with more frequent updates when
developments warrant.
You can reach the ACSB Bosnia Hotline at (202-319-7189) or at our site on the
World Wide Web at http://users.aol.com/amcomsabos/home.html.
|
