BOSNEWS digest 468 - 16/11/95

From: Davor <dwagner@mailbox.syr.edu>

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory

CONTENTS

[01] THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE DIPLOMATIC FRONT AND ON THE GROUND IN THE BALKANS

The U.S. government today strongly criticized Croatian President Franjo Tudjman for granting an army promotion to Tihomir Blaskic, commander of the Bosnian Croat militia. Blaskic was among six Bosnian Croats indicted Monday by the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal. The six also include Dario Kordic, president of the Bosnian branch of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's ruling party, the Croatian Democratic Union. They were indicted for war crimes committed during 1993, when separatist Bosnian Croat forces, backed by Croatia, fought a brutal war against the Bosnian Army and launched genocidal attacks against Bosnian Muslim civilians. Thus far, the Tribunal has indicted 52 individuals, of whom only one is in its custody.

Conflicting reports circulated today regarding progress in the peace talks between the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. Secretary of State Warren Christopher is reportedly cutting short a trip to Asia to return to Dayton. Some observers speculated that the scheduling change could indicate that a peace accord would be signed very soon. U.S. officials attempted to downplay expectations for a imminent conclusion to the two-week-long negotiations. According to Bosnian Croat radio today, Bosnian Croat leader Kresimir Zubak, president of the Bosnian Federation, expressed dissatisfaction with the Dayton talks and warned that he would not sign on to the peace agreement being developed. It is not clear what impact Zubak's reported opposition would have on negotiations.