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BosNEWS -- 28 September 1995
From: Dzevat Omeragic <dzevat@casper.ee.mcgill.ca>
Subject: BosNet ARTICLE - Othodox church fenounces nationalist fanticism
ORTHODOX CHURCH DENOUNCES NATIONALIST FANTICISM
Le Monde, 28 Sept. 1995
Henri Tincq reports that Orthodox Church heads from Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia,
Greece, Romania, and Serbia joined the Patriarch of Constantinople in
denouncing religious and nationalist "fanaticism" as leading to "division and
hatred among men" and in condemning the infringement of "the spiritual and
cultural rights, .... freedom and dignity of all minorities".
The declaration is intended to clean up the tarnished image of an Orthodox
Church generally identified with nationalists in Bosnia, Greece and Serbia,
says Tincq. Meeting on the island of Patmos (Greece), the Orthodox prelates
complained of the distorted image of their religion: "the Orthodox perception
of the idea of the nation carries no component of agressivity and confrontation
between peoples", and stating that "nationalism is a phenomenon totally alien
to the Orthodox Church".
* FRONTLINES, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bosnia Urges For New NATO Air-Strikes
* Non NATO-Countries Are Welcomed As Peacekeepers in Bosnia
* Croatia Arrested 370 People For Looting In Krajina
* Belgrade Warns Croatia
* German Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly
* UN General Assembly Meeting
FRONTLINES, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Bosnian Government says nationalist Serb shelling of
Government-held towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina may be retaliation for
army gains in fighting against the nationalist Serbs in Western Bosnia.
Radio of Bosnia and Herzegovina says troops of the Bosnian Army's
Fifth Corps have advanced to the entrances to the town of Mrkonjic Grad.
Wednesday, the Bosnian-army commander said Banja Luka was in shelling
range of his artillery forces. Also reported are Bosnian-army advances
toward the town of Prijedor, northwest of Banja Luka.
UN officials cannot confirm the reported Bosnian-army gains. The
nationalist Serbs say their defense lines in Northwestern Bosnia are
stable.
Bosnia Urges For New NATO Air-Strikes
Bosnian Prime Minister, Haris Silajdzic, reacted to the latest
Bosnian Serb attacks on Zenica and Travnik, which killed 3 people, and has
asked NATO to resume air-strikes on Bosnian Serb positions. Silajdzic
warned attacks like these are what could put a stop to the peace process
and said the Bosnian side would not negotiate while civilians are still
being killed by Serb terrorists.
NATO, however, said when air-strikes were suspended, that the
alliance would resume air-strikes only if any of the UN designated safe
areas came under attack. Zenica and Travnik are not UN safe areas.
Non NATO-Countries Are Welcomed As Peacekeepers in Bosnia
The US chairman of the Joint Chief Of Staff, General John
Shaliskashvili, says non NATO-countries, such as former Warsaw pact
nations, are welcome to join a peace keeping force in Bosnia and Herze
govina- General Shaliskashvili made his comments Wednesday after talks
with Hungarian Government officials and added that a new peace keeping
force in Bosnia, should not only include soldiers from NATO countries.
He said that NATO "would welcome nations to participate in this
implementation force. Whether they are NATO or not belonging to NATO."
He also added that he would welcome Russia's participation in the
military peace operation. But he also says he does not know whether a
Moscow proposal to form a joint command between NATO and Russia can become
a reality.
General Shaliskashvili also stressed he would understand why some
former Warsaw Pact countries that have common borders with former
Yugoslavia would refuse to cooperate in the peace keeping force. Hungary
has raised objections because of fears that it co uld undermine already
strained relations with former Yugoslavia, where a large Hungarian
minority lives.
The U.S. daily "The Washington Post", estimates that sending US
troops to keep the peace in Bosnia and aid for the embittered country
could cost the US at least 1.5 billion dollars.
ZAGREB, Croatia
Croatia Arrested 370 People For Looting In Krajina
Croatian authorities have arrested 370 people, including policemen
and soldiers, for looting and burning houses in the formerly Serb-held
Krajina area overrun in August, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.
Chris Gunness, the UN spokesman in Zagreb, quoted a Croatian
liaison officer in the southern town of Knin as saying that 260 civilians,
75 policemen and 35 soldiers had been detained. UN officials repeatedly
accused Croatia of failing to stop killings of Serb civilians who remained
in the area after it was captured and of looting and burning houses of
those who fled Croatia during or after the four-day military operation.
"We are extremely pleased that Croatia is not only admitting that
these things were going on, but also taking action to prevent it," Gunness
said.
The US has linked any future financial assistance for rebuilding
Croatia's war-ravaged economy and infrastructure with its human rights
behavior and in particular with allowing the safe return of Krajina Serbs
to their homes.
Belgrade Warns Croatia
Foreign Minister of the so-called Yugoslavia, Milan Milutinovic,
told reporters in New York that Belgrade wants to resolve the issue of the
remaining occupied regions in Croatia peacefully, however, he warned that
any attempt by Croatia to take back the regions by force would provoke an
appropriate response. Milutinovic refused to say if that meant a military
response from Serbia.
UNITED NATIONS, New York
German Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly
Disappointments and setbacks in Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia and
Herzegovina have been unfairly attributed to the alleged inefficiency of
the UN, German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel told the General Assembly
Wednesday. He said they were th e result of unsatisfactory mandates, a
lack of political will on the part of Member States, and a shortage of
funds. "It is us, the Members, who cause the difficulties," he stressed.
The United Nations could not take on every responsibility, and
must focus on what was feasible, Mr. Kinkel continued. The Organization
must act consistently and resolutely, so as not to repeat what had
happened in Rwanda or in Zepa and Srebrenica.
UNITED NATIONS, New York
UN General Assembly Meeting
The UN today confirmed that Bosnian Serb forces had launched
cross-border rocket attacks against several towns in Croatia. Rockets
landed in the towns of Kutina, Novska, Ivanic Grad and Pozega, causing
extensive damage to property, several injur ies and possibly one death.
The United Nations condemned the attacks in the strongest possible terms,
especially given that they had come amid news of progress in the peace
talks in New York.
In an address to the Assembly Wednesday, China's Vice Premier and
Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, offered a set of guidelines for UN
peacekeeping operations. Some of the points: * The purposes and
principles of the Charter should be observed, in particular the principle
of respect for state sovereignty and noninterference in states' internal
affairs;
* Disputes should be settled through peaceful means instead of
frequent mandatory actions;
* Double standards and the imposition of the views of one or a few
countries on the Security Council should be avoided;
* Operations should obtain prior consent from the parties concerned,
observe strict neutrality and not use force except in self-defence.
* The Organization should not try to exceed its capability and
should never become a party to a conflict.
Ministers from several countries have agreed to pursue work to
enhance the rapid reaction capacity of the United Nations. That
development was announced today by the Foreign Ministers of Canada and the
Netherlands, Andre Oullet and Hans van Mierlo, whose Governments had put
forward proposals on the issue. Mr. Oullet told correspondents that the
idea was to reduce delays between Security Council decisions and
deployment in the field.
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