PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The Security Council should investigate evidence of Srebrenica prisoners being held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Muhamed Sacirbey, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, told a Headquarters press conference this morning.

At the beginning of the briefing, Mr. Sacirbey read out a letter, dated 26 February, he had written to the President of the Security Council. In the letter, he stated that two independent sources had reported that there might be as many as 40 to 50 Srebrenica citizens being held in a prison in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The prisoners were being held in an isolated area and apparently were not registered with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It was not clear to what extent the central authorities in Belgrade were aware of those circumstances.

Mr. Sacirbey said that the alleged prison camp was located in the Serbian town of Sremska Mitrovica, where the two witnesses were also held prisoner. One source was a Croatian citizen and the other a Bosnian. The witnesses also said that an American and a Pakistani citizen were being held at the same prison. One witness had supplied authorities with the name and physical description of a Srebrenica prisoner that matched those of a man who had been reported missing by his wife to the ICRC.

While the allegation that citizens of Srebrenica were still being held prisoner seemed unusual or improbable, Mr. Sacirbey said, every effort should be made to find them and to discover what might have happened to them after their capture. According to the relevant resolutions that designated Srebrenica a safe area, the Council still had a legal interest in the fate of all those who were subject to its protection. He asked the Council to investigate the situation in order to secure the safety of those individuals that still might be alive.

In conclusion, the letter states that his Government had been reluctant to release information about the matter, Mr. Sacirbey said. Yet, since some of the information had already been leaked, the best way to secure the prisoners' safety was to put the alleged perpetrators on notice and to have the Council act with urgency and the authority bestowed upon it. The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina had also communicated with the United States Government, among others, regarding the matter.

Asked if he believed that the Belgrade authorities knew about the existence of the Srebrenica prisoners, Mr. Sacirbey said the primary focus was the prisoners and the evidence regarding them. The briefing was intended as a political assault on Belgrade. While his Government did not enjoy diplomatic

relations with Belgrade, he hoped that the authorities there would cooperate in the investigation of the reports.

What was the purpose of addressing the letter to the Security Council and not to other authorities? a correspondent asked. Mr. Sacirbey said Srebrenica was a United Nations designated safe area, and the fate of those who suffered through its fall was still under the authority of the Council, which was responsible for those citizens whose lives might be in danger.

Asked what actions he expected the Council to take, Mr. Sacirbey said he expected the Council to investigate and provide a report reviewing the situation.

Were there details about the Pakistani citizen being held prisoner? a correspondent asked. Mr. Sacirbey said he had the name of the Pakistani, but he would not release any names into the public domain. The name would be given to the Pakistani authorities.

Asked if action by the Council would make up for its inability to keep the safe areas safe, Mr. Sacirbey said he would not answer that question at the moment. The goal of the press briefing was to obtain a non-politicized review of the situation. Now was not the time for pointing fingers. The objective was not to embarrass any other State, but to have the Council follow through on its responsibilities to the Srebrenica prisoners.

A correspondent asked if the United States State Department had been provided with the identity of the American prisoner. Mr. Sacirbey said he did not have the name of the American citizen, but he had contacted an individual in the United States Government about the situation. There were reports that the American had been imprisoned for criminal activities.

Asked why the United States Envoy in the former Yugoslavia had not been contacted, Mr. Sacirbey said he did not wish to say which United States official he had contacted. In any case, the situation was not an American issue, it was an issue for the Security Council and the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A correspondent asked if the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elizabeth Wren, had been told about the prisoners. Mr. Sacirbey said he was certain that she and others had been informed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities.

Asked about the condition of the Srebrenica prisoners, Mr. Sacirbey said there had been no description of the men's condition except that they had been kept in an isolated area. One of the witnesses had talked to one of the prisoners, and for him, there was a name and a physical description.

Bosnia Press Conference - 3 - 26 February 1998

Had there been other reports about additional Srebrenica prisoners? a correspondent asked. Mr. Sacirbey said that in the past there had been rumours and evidence regarding Srebrenica prisoners, but none of those had supplied authorities with a clear trail. The present case was different because there were names, numbers, a site and a map. Yet, the objective was not to judge the veracity of the evidence, but to state that it existed and that the reports should be investigated.

Asked if the ICRC had been notified about the reports of Srebrenica prisoners, Mr. Sacirbey said Bosnia and Herzegovina was working with other governments to ensure that the ICRC was aware of the situation.

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