Voice of America, 17 December 1995

From: "Ioannis V. Bousnakis" <ivb19@nfi.com>

Voice of America Directory

CONTENTS

[01] BOSNIA/SERBS (S ONLY) BY WAYNE COREY (VIENNA)

INTRO: THE BOSNIAN SERB ASSEMBLY HAS CONDEMNED THE BOSNIAN PEACE AGREEMENT'S PROVISION FOR ALL OF SARAJEVO TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE MUSLIM/CROAT FEDERATION. THE ASSEMBLY HAS CALLED ON SERBS IN SERB-HELD DISTRICTS TO REMAIN IN THEIR HOMES. AND IT SAYS SERBS MUST NOW WAGE A PEACEFUL, POLITICAL STRUGGLE FOR AN INDEPENDENT SERB STATE OR UNITY WITH SERBIA. V-O-A'S CENTRAL EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT, WAYNE COREY, REPORTS.

TEXT: THE SELF-DECLARED BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT ISSUED A DECLARATION DISPUTING THE PLANNED MUSLIM/CROAT TAKEOVER OF ALL OF SARAJEVO.

ECHOING AN APPEAL FROM SERBIAN PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC, THE PARLIAMENT CALLED ON SARAJEVO SERBS TO REMAIN IN THEIR HOMES.

THE PARLIAMENT ALSO SAYS SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC SHOULD NOT BE PROSECUTED FOR INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES. THIS STATEMENT IS LIKELY TO BE IGNORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL IN THE HAGUE.

MR. KARADZIC, HIMSELF, DESCRIBES THE NEW PEACE AGREEMENT FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, WHICH HE HAS GRUDGINGLY ACCEPTED, AS AN OVERALL DEFEAT OF THE SERBS. HE SAYS THEY HAVE TO GO ON, BUILDING THEIR STATE.

AT THE SAME TIME, MR. KARADZIC SAYS AMERICANS ARE NOT CONSIDERED TO BE ENEMIES OF THE SERBS.

AMERICAN TROOPS WILL OPERATE IN SERB-HELD TERRITORY AS PART OF THE NATO PEACE IMPLEMENTATION FORCE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. (SIGNED)

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17-Dec-95 4:42 PM EST (2142 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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[02] BOSNIA/WINTER BY DOUGLAS ROBERTS (TOMISLAVGRAD, BOSNIA)

INTRO:THE NATO COMBAT TROOPS NOW BEGINNING TO DEPLOY IN BOSNIA ARE VIRTUALLY CERTAIN TO HAVE THAT CHERISHED WESTERN TRADITION -- A WHITE CHRISTMAS. BUT THEY MAY WISH IT OTHERWISE, AS VOA'S DOUGLAS ROBERTS DISCOVERED LAST WEEK DURING A ROAD TRIP THROUGH WAR-RAVAGED AND SNOW-BOUND CENTRAL BOSNIA.

TEXT: IT IS LESS THAN THREE HUNDRED KILOMETERS FROM TUZLA, IN NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA, TO CROATIA'S ADRIATIC COASTLINE. ON A NORMAL DAY, THE JOURNEY BY ROAD CAN BE COMPLETED IN SOMETHING LESS THAN EIGHT HOURS.

BUT THERE ARE FEW NORMAL DAYS IN A BOSNIAN WINTER. AND EVEN A SHORT JOURNEY CAN BE EXHAUSTING AND PERILOUS.

OURS BEGAN WELL ENOUGH -- A DRIVER, AN INTEPRETER AND MYSELF IN A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE RANGE ROVER. WE LEFT TUZLA AT MIDDAY, HEADING SOUTHWEST. THE WINTER'S FIRST SNOW HAD LARGELY MELTED. THE ROADS WERE POT-HOLED BUT PASSABLE AS WE DROVE THROUGH A PATCHWORK OF CROAT AND MUSLIM TOWNS AND VILLAGES -- ALL BEARING THE SCARS OF BOSNIA'S INTERNECINE CONFLICTS.

THE FIRST OMINOUS SIGN CAME SOON AFTER WE PASSED THROUGH THE LARGELY MUSLIM TOWN OF ZENICA. THE SKIES DARKENED, AND IT BEGAN TO SNOW AGAIN; AND SNOW AND SNOW. WE SPENT THE NIGHT AT A HOTEL IN NEARBY VITEZ.

DAWN BROUGHT NO RELIEF. THERE WAS ALREADY A METER OF SNOW ALONG THE ROADSIDE, AND IT WAS STILL COMING DOWN. AT THE EDGE OF VITEZ, WE STOPPED AT A U-N CHECKPOINT, TO ASK FOR THE BEST ROUTE OUT TO THE COAST. THE YOUNG PEACEKEEPER FROM NEW ZEALAND RADIOED HIS BASE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION, AND THEN SHOUTED TO US FROM THE TURRET OF HIS ARMORED CAR: TAKE GULL THEN OPAL, ALBATROSS AND CIRCLE: U-N CODE WORDS FOR THE ROUTES OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN BOSNIA.

THERE WERE SIGN POSTS EVERY FEW KILOMETERS. WE FOLLOWED GULL THROUGH THE TOWN OF TRAVNIK AND THEN PAST A STRING OF SHATTERED VILLAGES THAT, UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO, HAD BEEN IN SERB HANDS. WE WERE HELD UP FOR AN HOUR BY AN ACCIDENT. A LARGE TRUCK HAD SKIDDED ON A PATCH OF ICE AT A BEND IN THE ROAD, BLOCKING TRAFFIC IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. IT WAS THE FIRST OF MANY LONG DELAYS THAT DAY.

AT DONJI VAKUF, WE TURNED SOUTH, ON ROUTE OPAL, TO THE MUSLIM TOWN OF BUGOJNO, AND THEN WEST ON ROUTE ALBATROSS. ALBATROSS WAS TO BECOME OUR NIGHTMARE. AT THE LAST CHECKPOINT IN BUGOJNO, A YOUNG BOSNIAN SOLDIER WARNED US THAT THE ROAD AHEAD WAS INCREASINGLY IMPASSABLE. WE WENT AHEAD, CLIMBING STEADILY NOW UP MOUNT KUPRES; AT ITS PEAK, MORE THAN EIGHTEEEN HUNDRED METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

WITHIN A FEW KILOMETERS, WE SUDDENLY FOUND OURSELVES STUCK BEHIND A LONG LINE OF TRAFFIC. A TRUCK AND SEVERAL CARS HAD BOGGED DOWN IN THE SNOW. A TEAM OF BRITISH ENGINEERS, ATTACHED TO THE PEACEKEEPING FORCE, WERE TRYING TO CLEAR THE ROAD. WITH CRANES AND A SNOW PLOW, IT TOOK MORE THAN THREE HOURS TO CREATE ENOUGH SPACE FOR A SINGLE LANE OF TRAFFIC. A STREAM OF TRUCKS, U-N CONVOYS AND PASSENGER BUSES SNAKED PAST US, HEADING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THEN FINALLY, IT WAS OUR TURN, BUT ONLY FOR A FEW HUNDRED MORE METERS, WHERE AGAIN THE ROAD WAS BLOCKED.

AND SO IT WENT -- FOR HOUR AFTER HOUR. NIGHTFALL CAME AT FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON. THE SNOW INTENSIFIED AND THEN TURNED TO FREEZING RAIN. THE THIN MOUNTAIN AIR COMBINED WITH THE NOXIOUS FUMES OF THE STALLED TRUCKS AND BUSES SICKENED US. MY INTERPRETER LOST CONSCIOUSNESS FOR A FEW MOMENTS. THE DRIVER'S FACE TURNED AS WHITE AS THE SNOW CLOGGING THE NARROW ROAD.

AT LONG LAST, AFTER NEARLY TWELVE HOURS IN THE ROVER, WE REACHED THE SUMMIT AND BEGAN A PRECIPITOUS DECLINE THROUGH A LONG TUNNEL TO THE VALLEY BELOW. THE JOURNEY BECAME MUCH EASIER, AND WE WERE SOON IN THE SOUTHERN TOWN OF TOMISLAVGRAD, WITH A CLEAR ROAD AHEAD TO THE ADRIATIC COAST. WE STOPPED FOR A MEAL AND A REST.

BUT WHEN WE TRIED TO RESUME OUR JOURNEY, THE RANGE ROVER FINALLY GAVE OUT. WITHIN MOMENTS, A U-N JEEP APPEARED, AND A YOUNG BRITISH ENGINEER AGREED TO TOW US TO HIS BASE, AND TOLD US HIS UNIT'S MECHANICS WOULD DO WHAT THEY COULD FOR OUR CAR IN THE MORNING.

WE SPENT THE NIGHT IN A HOTEL LOBBY CROWDED WITH PEOPLE, LIKE US, STRANDED BY THE STORM. IN THE MORNING, WE RETURNED TO THE BASE. IT WAS A SCENE OF FRENETIC ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION TO TRYING TO KEEP THE ROADS CLEARED AND TRAFFIC MOVING, THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE THIRTY EIGHTH BRITISH ENGINEERS WERE ALSO, AS THEY PUT IT, GOING GREEN -- REPAINTING THEIR VEHICLES FROM U-N WHITE TO THE GREEN OF NATO'S PEACE IMPLEMENTATION FORCE. SOMEHOW, THE BRITISH MECHANICS FOUND TIME TO FIX OUR CAR, AND THEN HURRIEDLY RETURNED TO THEIR INTERLOCKING ASSIGNMENTS -- PREPARING THE VEHICLES AND THE ROADS FOR THE NEW PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN A SNOW-BOUND BOSNIA. (SIGNED)

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17-Dec-95 12:15 PM EST (1715 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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[03] NATO / BOSNIA (L) BY WAYNE COREY (VIENNA)

INTRO: BAD WINTER WEATHER IS STILL DELAYING THE DEPLOYMENT OF 20-THOUSAND AMERICAN TROOPS AND OTHER FORCES THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN NATO'S PEACE MISSION IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. V-O-A'S CENTRAL EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT, WAYNE COREY, REPORTS.

TEXT: SUNDAY HAS BEEN ANOTHER QUIET DAY AT THE TUZLA AIRFIELD IN NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA. POOR VISIBILITY BECAUSE OF LOW CLOUDS AND FREEZING FOG AGAIN PREVENTED PLANES WITH U-S FORCES AND EQUIPMENT FROM LANDING THERE. SOME FLIGHTS FROM GERMANY WERE DIVERTED TO SARAJEVO. AMERICAN MILITARY PERSONNEL ON THOSE FLIGHTS FACE A SIX-HOUR DRIVE FROM THE BOSNIAN CAPITAL TO TUZLA OVER POOR, SNOW-COVERED ROADS. ABOUT 800 AMERICAN SOLDIERS, WHO WILL PROVIDE SECURITY FOR THE TUZLA AIRFIELD, REMAINED AT THE NATO AIRBASE AT AVIANO IN ITALY. A RUSSIAN ADVANCE TEAM ALSO COULD NOT GET TO TUZLA. THE ADVANCE TEAM WAS TO ARRANGE FOR THE ARRIVAL OF SEVERAL THOUSAND RUSSIAN SOLDIERS. THE RUSSIANS WILL WORK WITH THE AMERICANS IN NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA IN HELPING TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW BOSNIAN PEACE AGREEMENT. FOR POLITICAL REASONS, THE RUSSIANS WILL NOT BE UNDER NATO COMMAND. U-S MILITARY OFFICIALS WANT TO LAND ONE PLANE IN TUZLA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO CHECK NEWLY-INSTALLED NAVIGATIONAL AIDS THERE. IF THESE AIDS ARE WORKING PROPERLY, WINTER WEATHER WILL BE A PROBLEM FOR FEWER INCOMING FLIGHTS. POOR VISIBILITY HAS ALSO DELAYED FLIGHTS TO AN AMERICAN MILITARY STAGING AREA IN SOUTHERN HUNGARY FROM WHICH MOST OF THE U-S TROOPS, GOING TO BOSNIA, WILL TRAVEL OVERLAND. BUT A TRAIN CARRYING MORE THAN 100 U-S SOLDIERS, TANKS AND ARMORED VEHICLES HAS ENTERED CROATIA FROM HUNGARY. THESE FORCES WILL PROVIDE SECURITY FOR ENGINEERS WHO WILL PUT UP A BRIDGE ON THE SAVA RIVER ON THE CROATIAN/BOSNIAN FRONTIER. THE BRIDGE SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. ONCE THE BRIDGE IS READY, THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS, WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT, WILL CROSS OVER IT ON THEIR WAY TO BOSNIA. (SIGNED)

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17-Dec-95 3:49 PM EST (2049 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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[04] U-S/BOSNIA/WAR CRIMES (S-ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN MIKE MCCURRY SAYS THE WARRING PARTIES IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA MUST KEEP THEIR COMMITMENTS TO PROSECUTE SUSPECTED WAR CRIMINALS. V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS MR. MCCURRY WAS RESPONDING TO THE RELEASE BY BOSNIAN CROAT AUTHORITIES OF A MAN INDICTED ON WAR CRIMES CHARGES EARLIER THIS MONTH:

TEXT: MR. MCCURRY SAYS THAT WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON MET WITH THE THREE PRESIDENTS OF CROATIA, SERBIA AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA AT LAST WEEK'S PEACE TREATY SIGNING IN PARIS, HE TOLD THEM EVERY ITEM IN THE TREATY MATTERS DEEPLY TO THE UNITED STATES.

THE SPOKESMAN SAYS MR. CLINTON EMPHASIZED THE PRESIDENTS MUST ABIDE BY THEIR PLEDGE TO PREVENT SUSPECTED WAR CRIMINALS FROM PARTICIPATING IN POLITICS AND TO PROSECUTE THOSE SOUGHT BY THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL.

HE INSISTED WASHINGTON WILL HOLD THEM TO THOSE COMMITMENTS.

MR. MCCURRY WAS RESPONDING TO A DECISION BY BOSNIAN CROATS TO FREE IVICA RAJIC FROM PRISON AFTER A JUDGE RULED THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO TRY HIM ON UNRELATED MURDER CHARGES. CROAT NEGOTIATORS AT THE DAYTON, OHIO PEACE TALKS LAST MONTH HAD PROMISED MR. RAJIC WOULD BE TURNED OVER TO THE U-N WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL IN THE HAGUE AFTER THE MURDER CASE WAS RESOLVED.

IN SEPTEMBER, MR. RAJIC BECAME THE FIRST NON-SERB INDICTED BY THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL. HE IS CHARGED WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BRUTAL 1993 ATTACK ON A MUSLIM VILLAGE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIALS SEE THE RAJIC CASE AS AN EARLY TEST OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT TO BRING THE WAR CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE. (SIGNED)

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16-Dec-95 10:16 PM EST (0316 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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[05] U-S BOSNIA (L) BY JANE BERGER (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: SENIOR U-S MILITARY LEADERS SAY U-S TROOPS ARE MAKING A MEASURED ENTRY INTO BOSNIA AS PART OF A NATO PEACEKEEPING FORCE. CORRESPONDENT JANE BERGER REPORTS REPORTS NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER GENERAL GEORGE JOULWAN AND THE COMMANDER OF U-S TROOPS IN BOSNIA WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT BOSNIA (SUNDAY) IN A SERIES OF U-S TELEVISION INTERVIEWS.

TEXT: NATO COMMANDER GENERAL GEORGE JOULWAN SAID THE U-S ENTRY INTO BOSNIA HAS BEEN HELD UP BY POOR WEATHER, BUT HE SAID A RAPID BUILDUP IS UNDERWAY WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NEW YEAR.

THE FIRST BRIGADE, WE THINK, WILL MOVE OUT BY THE END OF DECEMBER. SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN TUZLA DURING CHRISTMAS-TIME IS PROBABLY THE MAIN HEADQUARTERS AND SOME SECURITY FORCES. I WOULD SAY ROUGHLY IN THE AREA OF ABOUT MAYBE ONE THOUSAND TO 15 HUNDRED AMERICAN TROOPS IN TUZLA.

GENERAL JOULWAN SAID THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT BOSNIAN FACTIONS ARE COMPLYING WITH REQUIREMENTS OF THE BOSNIAN PEACE AGREEMENT BY SHUTTING DOWN RADAR INSTALLATIONS, MOVING TROOPS OUT OF THE ZONE OF SEPARATION, AND HELPING NATO FORCES IDENTIFY MINEFIELDS.

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM NASH, THE COMMANDER OF U-S TROOPS IN BOSNIA, SAID THE MINEFIELDS ARE THE BIGGEST DANGER THAT PEACEKEEPING TROOPS WILL FACE.

THERE ARE A LOT OF MINES IN BOSNIA. I DON'T KNOW IF THE REPORTS ARE RIGHT THAT RANGE FROM ONE TO SIX MILLION. BUT FROM OUR RECONNAISSANCE AND REPORTS FROM THE U-N AND REPORTS FROM THE FACTIONS, THERE IN THE COUNTRY, THERE CERTAINLY ARE A LOT OF THEM IN THE TUZLA AREA WHERE WE'LL BE OPERATING.

IN A SEPARATE INTERVIEW, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER BOB DOLE SAID HE BELIEVES THE PEACEKEEPING MISSION ONLY HAS A 50 PERCENT CHANCE TO SUCCEED. MR. DOLE INITIALLY OPPOSED THE IDEA OF U-S PARTICIPATION IN THE PEACEKEEPING FORCE, BUT HE THREW HIS SUPPORT BEHIND U-STROOPS ONCE THE DECISION TO SEND THEM WAS MADE. MR. DOLE SAID IF FIGHTING AGAIN BREAKS OUT AMONG THE VARIOUS BOSNIAN MILITARY FACTIONS, THE PEACEKEEPING FORCE SHOULD BE PULLED OUT. (SIGNED)

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17-Dec-95 12:52 PM EST (1752 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America