PRESS CONFERENCE BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
19960731
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
At a press conference this morning, the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, told correspondents that he had just briefed the Security Council informally, and prior to that he had met with the Secretary-General, to review the situation as it was today in Bosnia and to update the report he had delivered in early July. Discussion had focused on what would happen after the elections and what would happen after next year.
The elections, to be held on 14 September, were the critical opening towards the setting-up of common institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was the only means of beginning to overcome the divisions in that bitterly divided country, he said. The overcoming of divisions would not be completed in just a few months or weeks prior to the expiration of mandates given by the Security Council at the end of last year. The involvement of the international community would have to be wider in terms of geographic emphasis and longer in terms of time. Concerns in Eastern Slavonia and Kosovo would have to be addressed. The international community would have to be involved in different ways with the uncertainties over the stability of south-eastern Europe for years to come. "There is no exit strategy, primarily for the European countries. I mean the West of Europe can't exit from Europe." Nor was there an exit strategy for the international community as a whole, which must do its part to contribute to stability and the implementation of the Peace Agreement for the long haul. Much had been achieved in one year but more remained to be done.
Asked if he had concerns about the Federation, he said yes, more so than any time previously. Part of that could be explained by the tensions which were present prior to the elections. Elections by their very nature emphasized what divided rather than what united. Local tensions were high, and there had been arson attacks on a church and on a mosque recently. "We have every reason to be concerned about the future. The Federation has been going backwards for a month and if that is not reversed it will also have an impact on the setting-up of the common institutions of the country." Bosnia was not a unitary country; it was a highly decentralized country with two entities. If one pillar did not work, that would affect the setting-up of common institutions.
A correspondent asked if the High Representative was getting any support from Zagreb. He replied that he was not satisfied with the policy line being taken by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. Such concern was not only felt by
his office but also by the European Union and the United States. Significant diplomatic pressure had been exerted against President Tudjman in the last few days.
Mr. Bildt was then asked if he felt as though he were in a sort of "Humpty-Dumpty situation, where all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put it back together again". He replied, "Sometimes, yes". When things were difficult, he switched on the television to watch reports on Northern Ireland or the Middle East and then concluded that the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina was not in such bad shape after all. There had been 42 months of the most brutal war on the European continent since 1945, and there had barely been eight months of peace. Substantial problems had been encountered but substantial progress had also been achieved.
Yesterday, for example, for the first time after 1,564 days, there had been a train leaving the station of Sarajevo, he continued. The European Union had invested a lot of money and effort to make that possible. President Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina had commented that that had been the second lifting of the siege of Sarajevo. The train had gone all the way down to Mostar with cheering crowds at the stations. It had then continued to the Adriatic coast. "The symbolism of that is enormous." It had taken great effort to make that train possible, and there was still no regular passenger traffic, but the fact that the train had reached the sea would have been nearly unthinkable even a month ago.
A correspondent asked if the High Representative foresaw a very long- term operation in Bosnia like those in the Middle East. Mr. Bildt replied that he did not know of any war in modern history or perhaps in human history where all of the wounds had been healed in one year, and he feared that Bosnia would not be the exception. For example, in the area of refugee return, so far some 100,000 refugees had returned to their homes, but an additional 1.2 million remained outside the border and equal number were displaced within the country's border. It would be very difficult to ensure the return to minority areas. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would therefore have to remain in place for many years. More work remained in the areas of economic reconstruction as well. In the political realm, a commitment to supporting human rights institutions would require a continued international presence. "I'm quite certain that we need an international police presence in Bosnia for quite some time to come." He said he would not rule out a military presence after the end of the mandate of the multinational Implementation Force (IFOR).
Asked if he was seeking an extension of the presence of IFOR, he said he was not. The IFOR was a very substantial military presence, comprised of 58,000 men with tanks. Perhaps such a substantial force had been needed at the outset, when it had been feared that there would be a military challenge to the Peace Agreement, but no such challenge had been posed. The overwhelming military force now there was not needed from a military point of view, and it
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was not likely that such a force would be needed in the future. If a military force were required, it could be substantially smaller than IFOR.
A correspondent said that aside from the resignation of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and the maintenance of the cease-fire, there had been no positive developments in Bosnia, and the parties were practically "continuing the war without arms". He asked if there was any room for optimism under such conditions. Mr. Bildt replied that there was room for cautious optimism. He agreed that the parties viewed peace as the continuation of war, holding on to the same objectives but pursuing them by other means. The elections offered one such alternative means, he said, adding "I am in favour of pursuing political ends by elections rather than war".
There had also been a disturbing pattern of ethnically based human rights violations, he stated. Strong language must be used against such violations, since they were contrary to the letter and spirit of the Peace Agreement. Despite such problems it was worth noting that one year ago, travel in Sarajevo had required an armoured vehicle racing through empty streets with shells falling all around. Now the only impediment to travel in Sarajevo was traffic. That was a good sign. "I am in favour of traffic jams in this particular case." The daily lives of people had dramatically improved, but political tensions remained and the causes of war had not disappeared. For that reason, the international community must remain involved in the future to prevent a return to war.
Asked if Switzerland was a model for the Balkan region, Mr. Bildt said there were a number of models of reconciliation following wars in Europe. That continent had seen savage conflicts, enormous atrocities and massive suffering, but people had been able to go forward. France and Germany, as well as Poland and Russia, and even the Balkan States all offered models of reconciliation, but each had taken time and had required an international framework. Left alone, it was not possible to achieve reconciliation, but within the proper framework it would be possible. "There are no quick fixes."
A correspondent then asked Mr. Bildt about the long-term ramification for Europe of Bosnia's increasing ties with Iran, or Iran's generosity to Bosnia. He replied that Iran had been giving a substantial amount of humanitarian aid to Bosnia, which was welcome. Military assistance would be different. Events should serve as a signal that Bosnia was a part of Europe. Bosnians wanted to be part of the European environment, and it was essential to pave the way for them to feel at home in Europe in the future.
Mr. Bildt was then asked about the constant threats of hostage-taking and bodily harm against the International Police Task Force (IPTF). What was the rationale for sending unarmed police among thugs, criminals and rapists who had never kept any agreements, while heavily armed troops stayed safe in their tanks? He said that there had not been a daily pattern of hostage
Bildt Press Conference - 4 - 31 July 1996
threats. While the number of threats had been increasing, they were not dominating the picture. The mandate had been designed by the Security Council, so perhaps the question should be posed to members of the Council, he added.
As to the rationale for having unarmed police, he said that police work involved talking and patrolling. Police were not generally equipped to fight with guns, especially in Bosnia, where they would quickly be outgunned. If the IPTF had been heavily armed that would have undermined the whole meaning of police confidence-building. The Task Force had the backing of IFOR, but soldiers were not trained to do police work.
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