OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 134, 12 July 1995
CONTENTS
[01] SERBS OVERRUN SREBRENICA, THREATEN TO SHELL REFUGEES.
[02] "TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE."
[03] TURNING POINT FOR THE UN IN BOSNIA.
[04] WILL THE UN GET TOUGH AFTER ALL?
[05] SERBIAN RENEWAL MOVEMENT FEARS DELAY OF SANCTIONS' LIFTING.
[06] NEW EU POLICY ON FUTURE OF EASTERN SLAVONIA?
[07] U.S. APPROVES MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS FOR BULGARIA.
[08] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION WITHOUT JOINT CANDIDATE FOR SOFIA MAYORAL
[09] U.S.-ALBANIAN MILITARY EXERCISES KICK OFF.
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 134, Part II, 12 July 1995
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[01] SERBS OVERRUN SREBRENICA, THREATEN TO SHELL REFUGEES.
Bosnian Serb
forces took the UN-designated "safe area" of Srebrenica on 11 July.
Belated NATO air strikes halted a Serbian tank column, but Serbian
infantry and artillery carried the day. Dutch peacekeepers fled to their
base to the north, where some 30,000 refugees have also sought
protection. The French group Doctors without Borders told Croatian Radio
that the town of 42,000 is "completely empty" and that those who have
not fled to the Dutch have gone to the hills. Reuters on 12 July quoted
Bosnian Serb commander General Ratko Mladic as threatening to shell the
refugees if further air strikes are launched against his forces, which
have stepped up their attacks against the "safe areas" of Zepa, Gorazde,
and Sarajevo. Bosnian Croat army sources told Croatian Radio that more
Serbian militiamen are moving into Bosnia from Serbia via the northern
Posavina corridor. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
[02] "TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE."
This is how a number of people, including theBosnian prime minister and foreign minister, described the NATO air
strikes on 11 July. Croatian Radio quoted Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic
as saying the UN forces have cooperated with the Serbs, while the VOA
noted his remarks that the UN has deliberately delayed employing air
strikes as long as possible. Bosnian Ambassador to Croatia Kasim Trnka
told AFP that Srebrenica was the "price to be paid" for the secret deal
in which the UN got back the hostages from the Serbs last month. The BBC
quoted Mladic as saying that his aim is to "demilitarize" Srebrenica,
and that the civilians have nothing to fear if they stay. A BBC analyst
suggested that the Serbs are anxious to "mop up" the eastern Bosnian
Muslim enclaves to free their troops for use around Sarajevo. -- Patrick
Moore, OMRI, Inc.
[03] TURNING POINT FOR THE UN IN BOSNIA.
International media on 12 July
generally agreed that a new stage has been reached in the conflict. Not
only has a major humanitarian crisis emerged, but for the first time a
"safe area" has fallen to a Serbian assault and the UN has undeniably
failed to carry out its mandate. This "calls into question the vitality"
of the UN mission in Bosnia, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense
William Perry, the VOA said. The BBC reported that the safety of
Gorazde, Zepa, and Sarajevo now appears precarious, but UN Secretary-
General Boutros Boutros Ghali and U.S. Secretary of State Warren
Christopher warned that for the UN to withdraw or change its approach
would be to invite a blood bath. U.S. Senate Majority leader Robert
Dole, however, said that it is now clear that the only way out of the
imbroglio is for the UN to pull out and for the U.S. to lift the arms
embargo against the Bosnian government. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
[04] WILL THE UN GET TOUGH AFTER ALL?
The International Herald Tribune on 12July quoted French President Jacques Chirac as saying "France is ready
to use its means at the request of the Security Council. I do not see
what will stop the Serbs in the other enclaves or in Sarajevo" if the
world body accepts the fall of Srebrenica without a fight. The Security
Council on 11 July began work on a resolution drafted by France,
Britain, and Germany that would allow use of "all available means" to
oust the Serbs from Srebrenica if they refuse to go peacefully. But the
VOA on 12 July noted that "nothing is clear in this resolution." The UN
might decide to try diplomacy, which has largely proven useless in the
past. In any event, the final word on use of force would rest with the
cautious Boutros Ghali. Reuters says Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic has no intention of pulling back his forces: "What withdrawal?
From our country? Srebrenica is our country." -- Patrick Moore, OMRI,
Inc.
[05] SERBIAN RENEWAL MOVEMENT FEARS DELAY OF SANCTIONS' LIFTING.
Reactions
from Belgrade to the latest Bosnian developments are so far limited to a
statement by the opposition Serbian Renewal Movement, published in Nasa
Borba on 12 July. Party spokesman Ivan Kovacevic is quoted as saying
"the war activities of Pale will delay the lifting of the sanctions"
against the rump Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of
Representatives adopted an amendment saying the embargo against rump
Yugoslavia may not ended until excessive Serbian control over Kosovo
ceases, international agencies reported on 11 July. -- Fabian Schmidt,
OMRI, Inc.
[06] NEW EU POLICY ON FUTURE OF EASTERN SLAVONIA?
Belgrade's Politika on 11July quoted Portugal's ambassador to the EU, Jose Manuel de Costa
Arsenio, as saying he could well imagine eastern Slavonia, western
Srijem, and Baranja soon becoming part of Serbia. Those territories at
present constitute the UN-designated Sector East of Serbian-occupied
Croatia, which the Portuguese diplomat was visiting. The area is already
well integrated with Serbia, although it lies within Croatia's
internationally recognized boundaries. Vjesnik on 12 July wondered
whether the diplomat's remarks are perhaps a straw in the wind
suggesting a change in EU policy. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.
[07] U.S. APPROVES MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS FOR BULGARIA.
The U.S. House of
Representatives on 11 July passed a bill to extend permanent most-
favored-nation status to Bulgaria, Reuters reported the same day.
Bulgarian exports to the U.S. can thus enter the country at the lowest
possible tariffs. The decision was considered non-controversial and no
objections were raised. Bulgaria was granted most-favored-nation status
in 1991 but had to renew it each year. The bill has now been sent to the
Senate. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.
[08] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION WITHOUT JOINT CANDIDATE FOR SOFIA MAYORAL
E
LECTIONS. The Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) on 11 July named Stefan
Sofiyanski as its candidate for the post of mayor of Sofia, 24 chasa
reports the following day. The decision came one day after former Prime
Minister Reneta Indzhova was nominated mayoral candidate by the People's
Union (see OMRI Daily Digest, 11 July 1995). A meeting between the
leadership of the two groups aimed at finding a common candidate is
scheduled for this week. Meanwhile, SDS leader Ivan Kostov confirmed
that his party had initially considered backing Indzhova's candidacy. --
Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.
[09] U.S.-ALBANIAN MILITARY EXERCISES KICK OFF. U.S.
and Albanian troops on
11 July began joint exercises within the framework of the Partnership
for Peace program, AFP reported. The exercises continue until 8
September, during which period Albania's only military hospital will be
modernized. The cost of reconstructing the hospital, built by the
Italians during World War II, is estimated at $ 1.5 million and will be
met by the U.S. Defense Minister Safet Zhulali said the maneuvers are
the "most important military exercises between the American army and a
Central or Eastern European country." Meanwhile, the U.S. has started
deploying unmanned Predator spy planes in northern Albania to gather
intelligence over Bosnia. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.
This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a Prague-based nonprofit organization.
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