Voice of America, 96-09-29

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] U.S. / KURDS (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

[02] BOSNIA / O-S-C-E (S ONLY) BY KAREN COLEMAN (SARAJEVO)

[03] SERB JOURNALISTS VISIT SARAJEVO BY PAMELA TAYLOR (SARAJEVO)

[01] U.S. / KURDS (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THE UNITED STATES SAYS IT IS CONSIDERING OPTIONS OTHER THAN EVACUATION TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THOUSANDS OF KURDS IN NORTHERN IRAQ WHO WORKED FOR PRIVATE, VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS. V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO ASSESS WHETHER THESE SO-CALLED NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION (NGO) EMPLOYEES WILL BE IN JEOPARDY IF THEY STAY IN IRAQ:

TEXT: STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN GLYN DAVIES SAYS WASHINGTON CONSIDERS EVACUATION ONE OF A NUMBER OF OPTIONS FOLLOWING IRAQ'S INCURSION SEVERAL WEEKS AGO INTO AN AREA THAT A U-S LED COALITION FORCE HAS DECLARED TO BE A SAFE HAVEN. HE SAYS DETERMINING THE FATE OF THE SO-CALLED N-G-O'S (NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION EMPLOYEES) IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN THE EVACUATION OF MORE THAN TWO-THOUSAND KURDS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO WORKED DIRECTLY FOR THE U-S GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN IRAQ:

THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAN WE BROUGHT OUT EARLIER. THEY'RE SPREAD OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THEY BELONG TO MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. THE PROCESS REMAINS UNDER WAY, LOOKING AT HOW WE MINIMIZE THE RISK TO THESE PEOPLE UP TO, AND INCLUDING, BRINGING THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

MR. DAVIES WEDNESDAY STATED WASHINGTON WAS PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBLE EVACUATION OF THE ESTIMATED FOUR-THOUSAND KURDISH N-G-O'S WHO MAY FACE REPRISALS FROM IRAQI SECURITY FORCES.

MR. DAVIES ALSO DEFENDED AMBASSADOR ROBERT PELLETREAU'S TESTIMONY EARLIER TO CONGRESS THE UNITED STATES HAS NO COMMITMENT TO PROTECT KURDS IF ONE FACTION INVITES IRAQI FORCES INTO NORTHERN IRAQ. MR. DAVIES SAYS THERE IS NO IRON-CLAD SECURITY GUARANTEE FOR THE KURDS, ONLY A COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THEM TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE FROM THE DEPREDATIONS OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. (SIGNED)
NEB/VB/CF
28-Sep-96 4:40 AM EDT (0840 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] BOSNIA / O-S-C-E (S ONLY) BY KAREN COLEMAN (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE -- THE BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA -- ADMITTED SATURDAY IT MADE A MISTAKE IN HOW IT CALCULATED FIGURES FOR THE ELECTION. AS KAREN COLEMAN REPORTS, THE ORGANIZATION'S CREDIBILITY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY DAMAGED BY THE WAY IT HANDLED VOTER ESTIMATES.

TEXT: ROBERT FROWICK, HEAD OF THE O-S-C-E MISSION IN BOSNIA, SAYS THE ORGANIZATION MADE A MISTAKE IN HOW IT CALCULATED THE LIKELY NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD VOTE ON ELECTION DAY. UNTIL NOW, THE O-S-C-E MAINTAINED THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL VOTERS WAS TWO-POINT-NINE MILLION. BUT NOT LONG AFTER INITIAL RESULTS STARTED SHOWING AN EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH VOTER TURNOUT, THE O-S-C-E CHANGED ITS MIND AND SAID THE ELECTORATE WAS ACTUALLY THREE-POINT-TWO MILLION.

THIS HAS LED TO CONFUSION AND ACCUSATIONS OF A COVER-UP AIMED AT THE O-S-C-E. MR. FROWICK SAYS THE O-S-C-E WORKED ON ITS INITIAL ESTIMATE FROM FIGURES SUPPLIED BY THE U-N HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES.

ALL I CAN SAY IT WAS A MISTAKE, AND I AM GUILTY OF GOING FROM THAT AND COMING TO A PRESS CONFERENCE AND SAYING TWO-POINT-NINE MILLION WAS THE ESTIMATE. BUT IT WAS A MISTAKE. IT'S AN ABERRATION. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT SHOULD BE ABUNDANTLY MANIFEST BY NOW THAT THAT WAS WRONG.

MR. FROWICK ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE O-S-C-E'S CREDIBILITY HAS BEEN THROWN INTO DOUBT. BUT HE PROMISED THAT IT WOULD HANDLE FUTURE ELECTIONS BETTER, HAVING LEARNED FROM ITS MISTAKE. (SIGNED)
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28-Sep-96 12:06 PM EDT (1606 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] SERB JOURNALISTS VISIT SARAJEVO BY PAMELA TAYLOR (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: THE DIVIDE BETWEEN SERBS, CROATS, AND MUSLIMS IS NOW SO DEEP IN BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA MOST ARE AFRAID TO VISIT THE OTHER'S TERRITORY. BUT SOME JOURNALISTS ARE FINDING THEIR CURIOSITY TO BE GREATER THAN THEIR FEAR AND HAVE DARED TO VENTURE TO THE OTHER SIDE. PAMELA TAYLOR REPORTS ABOUT A GROUP OF JOURNALISTS FROM REPUBLIKA SRPSKA WHO VISITED SARAJEVO TO ATTEND A RECENT MEDIA SEMINAR.

TEXT: IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA, THE FEAR OF MUSLIMS HAS BECOME SO GREAT IN RECENT YEARS SERBS WHO WORK FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL EXPRESS APPREHENSION WHEN OFFERED A TRIP TO SARAJEVO.

BUT THE SARAJEVO-BASED GROUP, MEDIA PLAN, WHICH MONITORS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEDIA IN BOSNIA-HEREZEGOVINA, HAS SPONSORED SEVERAL JOURNALIST VISITS BETWEEN SARAJEVO AND BANJA LUKA IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE SERB ENTITY.

TWO SERB JOURNALISTS WHO ATTENDED A RECENT MEDIA PLAN SEMINAR IN SARAJEVO INCLUDED GORDANA AND EDO KATANA. GORDANA ADMITTED SHE WAS APPREHENSIVE ABOUT GOING TO SARAJEVO, BUT SHE AND EDO LAUGHED WHEN ASKED IF THEIR FEARS HAD BEEN JUSTIFIED.

A SEMINAR ORGANIZER WHO ALSO ACTED AS GORDANA AND EDO'S INTERPRETER, MARK WHEELER, SAID IF THE CURRENT POLITICIANS CONTINUE THEIR CONTROL OF THE MEDIA, THE PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO BE AFRAID. HE SAID THE RULING BOSNIAN MUSLIM PARTY (S-D-A), LIKE THE RULING SERB PARTY (S-D-S), DOES NOT WANT IT KNOWN THERE ARE NORMAL PEOPLE LIVING ALMOST NORMAL LIVES ON THE OTHER SIDE.

AS AN EXAMPLE, MR. WHEELER SAID STATE-CONTROLLED TELEVISION IN THE SERB REPUBLIC REPORTED NOTHING ABOUT THIS MONTH'S (SEPTEMBER) SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL, WHILE THE STATION OF BOSNIA'S MUSLIM PARTY SAID NOTHING ABOUT THE BANJA LUKA BOOK FAIR:

T-V HAYAT HERE IN SARAJEVO DID NOT WANT ANY NEWS COMING OVER ITS AIRWAYS THAT GAVE A POSITIVE, OR AT LEAST A NORMAL VISION OF LIFE IN A PLACE LIKE BANJA LUKA BEING POSSIBLE. THIS IS THE TYPE OF IDEOLOGICAL CATEGORIES PEOPLE HAVE. PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT NORMALITY. EVERYONE IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA HAS TO HAVE HORNS ON THEM AND VICE VERSA.

MR. WHEELER SAYS GORDANA AND EDO WERE IMPRESSED WITH THE OPENNESS THEY FOUND IN SARAJEVO. THE SARAJEVO JOURNALISTS SAID THEY WERE IMPRESSED WITH GORDANA AND EDO. SOME HAD HEARD OF GORDANA'S REPUTATION IN THE BANJA LUKA PRESS CORPS AS A TOUGH AND DIRECT QUESTIONER.

IN THE MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS, THE MAIN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN BANJA LUKA CONDUCTED PRESS CONFERENCES TO GIVE LOCAL JOURNALISTS ACCESS TO THE SAME INFORMATION JOURNALISTS IN SARAJEVO WERE GETTING. (THROUGH MR. WHEELER) GORDANA EXPLAINED HOW SHE WAS ONCE SHOUTED DOWN BY HER COLLEAGUES WHEN SHE ASKED WHY A CERTAIN GROUP OF SERB REFUGEES WAS GETTING AID WHEN THEY CLEARLY DID NOT NEED IT.

MR. WHEELER SAYS GORDANA AND EDO WERE NOT TRAINED IN THE ART OF ONE-PARTY ADVOCACY JOURNALISM. BEFORE THE WAR GORDANA WAS A LAWYER IN BANJA LUKA, EDO A CIVIL ENGINEER. EDO EXPLAINED THE COUPLE DECIDED TO SWITCH PROFESSIONS IN 1992 AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH PROMINENT BELGRADE JOURNALIST MILOS VASIC.

HE SAID -- MILOS VASIC SAID -- 'YOU GIVE ME ONE YEAR OF CONTROL OF THE AMERICAN MEDIA AND I WILL PRODUCE CIVIL WAR THERE TOO'. I THINK THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE OF THE MEDIA AND HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WITH THE MEDIA AND THE ROLE IT HAD IN THE COMING OF THIS WAR IS AS IMPORTANT AS IT WILL HAVE IN ENDING IT.

MR. WHEELER SAYS BEFORE THE MEDIA CAN BETTER INFORM THE PEOPLE, MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA THEMSELVES HAVE TO BECOME BETTER INFORMED. HE SAYS LETTING JOURNALISTS SEE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT LIFE IS LIKE ON THE OTHER SIDE IS ONLY A FIRST STEP, BUT IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE.
NEB/PAM/DW/RAE
29-Sep-96 9:40 AM EDT (1340 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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