Subject: BosNet REPORT - RI: BRW Visit To N-NE Bosnia From: Nermin Zukic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B o s N e t - Sept. 7, 1995 ======================================================================== Also available on Usenet as BIT.LISTSERV.BOSNET ________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send mail to DOC.IC.AC.UK, WITHOUT the subject: UNSUB BOSNEWS. Default format is set to DIGEST, if you have problems please contact moderator(s). ======================================================================== Bosnia Relief Watch ======================================================================== No. 42 Compiled by Refugees International September 5, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Commentary: We commend President Clinton for leading NATO to use force to prevent the Bosnian Serbs from further attacks on civilians in Bosnia and to end the siege of Sarajevo and other safe areas. The only way to prevent continuing crimes against humanity by the Bosnian Serbs is if they see clearly that they will pay a price for such actions. This spring, NATO's use of force was weak and unsustained and the Serbs replied by seizing UN hostages and by hurling the deadliest shell of the war into Tuzla; 71 were killed and 135 wounded in an attack on a safe area virtually unnoticed by the outside world. The 40-month delay in restraining the Bosnian Serbs cost hundreds of thousands dead and wounded and displaced millions; both the Bush and Clinton Administrations share that terrible blame. But now, force is finally being applied with effect and is winning widespread bi-partisan political support in the U.S. Congress and press. The key now will be to sustain the use of force to prevent the Bosnian Serbs from committing any additional crimes against humanity. NATO is also correctly insisting that sieges be lifted so that humanitarian assistance can flow unfettered before winter. In that connection, the opening of the new route into Sarajevo is of great importance and should be followed by the opening of Sarajevo and Tuzla airports, as well as regular humanitarian aid convoys for Gorazde. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH In a show of decisive action and concerted political will, the UN and NATO demonstrated to the Serbs and the world that the fate of Bosnia has not yet been decided. NATO attacked Bosnian Serb military targets for four hours Tuesday night, rendering not only artillery and mortar batteries useless, but wiping out communications facilities and missile sites as well. Meanwhile, the UN Rapid Reaction Force opened fire on the Bosnian Serbs surrounding the Sarajevo area. I never imagined that news of a military offensive would bring me relief. I abhor violence and the suffering it inevitably brings, but this offensive instilled hope in me, not dread. How ironic; no number of lessons in Realpolitik or US foreign policy books could make me appreciate the credo "Peace Through Strength," but my recent trip to Bosnia did. I was in the village of Kladanj in Northeastern Bosnia the day the last refugees from Zepa arrived. Zepa was the second UN "safe area" overrun by the Bosnian Serbs. The residents of the entire enclave were expelled, the villages were burned down, and of the fortunate ones who survived, many had been tortured, beaten, and raped, while those less fortunate were still missing or dead. Busloads of refugees poured out into the makeshift transit center at Kladanj. The women wailed from pain and suffering; I cried for them, but also with them. I felt so ashamed and helpless. I found it so hard to believe that the international community, and the United States in particular, had forsaken people who so obviously needed our help. I did not want to see troops on the ground battling it out, but we could have made our presence felt by expressing strong political will and demanding accountability. Instead, all that was felt was the undeviating wrath of Bosnian Serb contempt for our empty rhetoric. After the fall of Srebrenica and Zepa, with their legacy of mass graves, ethnic cleansing, and thousands of missing boys and men, the Bosnian Serbs seemed to ask the world, "So what are you going to do about it?" We may as well have done nothing. While the many humanitarian aid organizations provided invaluable services to the victims of this war and the ICRC tried tirelessly (though in vain) to uncover the fate of the missing, foreign governments and the UN did nothing. They condemned and condemned, but after 40 months of war, words mean so little; they may as well have condoned the actions of the Bosnian Serbs. A month ago the UN made a pledge in London to defend Gorazde, the last Eastern enclave. This promise was later extended to protect all the remaining safe areas; the UN made it clear that to deter further actions, any act of Bosnian Serb aggression would be met with disproportionate military action. During the last two weeks, the Bosnian Serbs shelled Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Gorazde. Fourteen civilians were killed, five of them were children. The Bosnian Serbs went so far as to deliberately target the Tuzla airbase, a makeshift refugee camp for 6,000 civilians whom the Bosnian Serbs had expelled from Srebrenica and Zepa. The camp had to be evacuated the next day. Still nothing was done. Then Monday, in an act of sheer defiance (or stupidity), the Bosnian Serbs shelled Sarajevo seven different times. They targeted not only the Kosevo Hospital and residential areas but also struck the Markale Market, where 68 civilians had been killed and over 200 wounded last year. The "Market Massacre" of February 1994 incited international outrage and renewed political will. The UN reestablished the heavy weapons exclusion zone and the Bosnian Serbs capitulated to international demands. However, during the past 18 months since the massacre, international will has dissipated and the Bosnian Serbs have had fairly free reign over the area - until recently. The Croatian offensive in the Krajina area and now the UN-NATO intervention have really changed the outlook of this ongoing conflict. The Bosnian Serbs, along with the international community, must have been shocked that the UN and NATO actually acted, and doubly shocked by their own vulnerability. Perhaps the Bosnian Serbs had fooled everyone, including themselves, with their bravado and impetuosity. Tuesday's show of force put an end to this charade; the UN and NATO mustered their resolve and stood their ground. Yes, we could have saved lives and circumvented irreparable damage if earlier action had backed up one of the many condemnations issued during the past three and a half years. But the UN and NATO may have saved Bosnia, not just by shifting the balance, but by saving lives and boosting morale. President Clinton also played a decisive role; US military support of NATO intervention coupled with continued American efforts to broker a peace agreement signals to the Bosnians, the Bosnian Serbs, and the international community that we are indeed committed to ending this war. This enduring war has corroded the soul of Bosnia as severely as it has killed and maimed the bodies of its peoples. Now, once and for all, the UN and NATO have made the deterrent real. Now, once and for all, the Bosnian Serbs may see that they have more to lose if they do not cooperate with the renewed peace negotiations. Now, once and for all, perhaps there can be peace through strength. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paula J. Ghedini, who recently returned from a humanitarian needs assessment mission to Bosnia, is an Advocacy Assistant at Refugees International. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bosnia Relief Watch is compiled by Refugees International. If you would like to be added to our distribution list or for more information, contact: Refugees International, 21 Dupont Circle, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 USA Phone: 1 202 828-0110 Fax: 1 202 828-0819 E-mail: ri@clark.net Staff: Paula Ghedini, Barrington King ________________________________________________________________________ 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, nor any of their host institutions. Zeljko Bodulovic Dzevat Omeragic Davor Wagner Nermin Zukic