USIA - State Department Report (96-07-31)

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1996

(Bosnia, Brothers to the Rescue) (460)

BOSNIA -- Assistant Secretary of State for Europe John Kornblum met with Alija Izetbegovic, president of Bosnia, on July 31, to discuss Dayton peace accord compliance issues and the Open Broadcast Network. Burns noted that the Open Broadcast Network is the U.S. attempt to integrate television as well as radio stations -- both Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Moslem -- so that they can be helping to disseminate information before the elections set for September 14. "We've run into some last minute glitches with the Bosnian government among others," Burns said. "We want to clear those away. This is a major priority for us: that the media has the ability to do its job in the run-up to the elections. I think that's a big part of establishing free and fair elections."

Burns said that Kornblum also went to Pale to meet with the Bosnian Serb leadership, with the exception of Radovan Karadzic, former leader of the Serbian Democratic Party. Among the discussion topics: the necessity of keeping Karadzic out of the election campaign; the need to end the intimidation of voters and to allow people to return to their homes and to grave sites; the need to end threats against opposition parties.

BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE -- Burns responded to the July 31 Washington Post article ("Pilot Says U.S. Knew of Cuban MiGs: Lack of Aid Irks Leader of 'Brothers' Who Lost 4" by William Branigin) that discusses allegations that the U.S. military failed to warn or protect planes manned by Cuban Americans shot down by Cuban MiGs February 24.

"We issued many different types of public warnings to Brothers to the Rescue and other groups throughout 1995 and into 1996 when they had plans for the flotilla," Burns said. "We issued cautions to them. We discussed privately with them what we felt what they could and could not do -- and this was both the Department of State and the FAA which have repeatedly cautioned Mr. (Jose) Basulto (head of Brothers to the Rescue) and other members of his group. We specifically said if 'you enter Cuban air space without authorization you may place yourself in serious danger.'"

Burns noted that the February 24 shootdown occurred in international waters.

"I think the real culprit is Castro and the Cuban military," Burns said. "And if people are looking for a problem on February 24, it clearly was with the Cuban government that shot down two American aircraft and killed four people. The United States government has followed a very responsible pattern of activity and behavior throughout."

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