Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING (April 18, 1995)
Topic: std
From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)
 
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING (April 18, 1995)


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                       U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                         DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                              I N D E X

                       Tuesday, April 18, 1995

                                       Briefer:  Christine Shelly


[...]
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
Call by Foreign Minister Juppe for UNSC emergency
   session ............................................8
--Possible UN resolution on integrity of UNPROFOR
   operations .........................................8
Departure of Ambassador Jackovich .....................9
-- Attacks by Bosnian Serbs on Sarajevo airport .......9

[...]


                      U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                        DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                                              DPC #53

                  TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1995, 1:07 P. M.
                 (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)


[...]

     Q     Another subject.  Foreign Minister Juppe has called for an  
emergency session of the Security Council to revisit the security  
situation in Bosnia and has threatened to withdraw troops if that  
doesn't happen, if the cease-fire isn't extended.  Do you have anything  
for us on that?

     MS. SHELLY:  I can't help you a lot on that because the action on  
this, the whole diplomatic front, has really kind of shifted up to New  
York today.  We're certainly aware of the comments that he's made.   
There certainly will be contacts among the key nations involved.  There  
have been already this morning, and there will be, certainly, later in  
the day that will be taking up probably the whole range of Balkan  
issues.

     There are issues related to a possible Security Council resolution  
that the French have indicated that they would like discussed.  I know  
that they themselves raised the possibility of a Security Council  
meeting, and they have talked about having a resolution that would call  
on all of the parties involved in the fighting to maintain the integrity  
of UNPROFOR's operation and to leave the peacekeepers alone.

     I have seen over the last few days various references to the  
possibility of withdrawing French troops.  Obviously, indications of  
that kind are certainly for the French to make.  I think there's been a  
little bit of to-ing and fro-ing on that.  I don't think that the French  
desire is to withdraw their troops.  I think their desire is to have  
their troops have a greater degree of protection from these kind of  
attacks than is currently the case.

     What I'm told from New York is that the resolution may also contain  
a couple of other elements to it, one of which would be to try to  
formalize an extension of the cease-fire which is currently in place and  
is due to expire at the end of April; and the other is to try to give a  
stimulus to the political negotiations on Bosnia.  That's what we hear  
from New York about what's happening up there, and I don't think I'm  
going to be able to take it much beyond that.

     Q     Christine, if I could go back to the Libyan Hajj question?

     Q     Actually, I have a follow-up on this.  The security situation  
is pretty bad.  We heard yesterday that Ambassador Jakovich was forced  
to drive out on a very dangerous road.  Can you tell us about the  
circumstances that brought that about?

     MS. SHELLY:  I can confirm that Ambassador Jackovich was prevented  
from departing Sarajevo by air by the Bosnian Serbs yesterday.

     The U.N. told the Ambassador that they had not received security  
guarantees from the Serbs in order to carry civilian passengers on the  
flights.  We've also seen reports that Bosnian officials have been  
barred from flying on similar types of flights by the Bosnian Serbs.

     These events point out once again the need for UNPROFOR to react  
vigorously in enforcing resolutions and agreements on the airport.   
Bosnian Serbs should not be allowed to dictate who can fly on U.N.  
flights.

     Even more outrageous are the repeated Bosnian Serb sniper threats  
and attacks against the planes taking off and landing in Sarajevo, many  
of which carry nothing more than the strict humanitarian supplies.

     On the diplomatic front, I can tell you that our Ambassador to the  
U.N., Madeleine Albright, was instructed to raise the issue related to  
Ambassador Jackovich's departure.  With U.N. officials in New York this  
morning, she did so.  They are now trying to confirm exactly all of the  
facts related to that particular issue, and we certainly would expect  
that we will get a satisfactory reply from U.N. officials once they've  
been able to check on all of the facts.

     Q     The Ambassador is out now?

     MS. SHELLY:  He is out.  That's right; he's out.

     Q     May I follow?  Just to ask, was he fired on?  I understood  
there was some firing on that road that he took --

     MS. SHELLY:  I have no information on that.

     Q     He's safely out.  What you read, I believe, is construed as  
UNPROFOR's error here in not asserting their authority at the airport;  
is that correct?

     MS. SHELLY:  I'm not leaping to that conclusion.  I am commenting  
on what we have seen as the events related to yesterday from our side,  
and I've also indicated we're seeking an explanation for exactly what  
transpired through the U.N.

[...]

     (The briefing concluded at 1:30 p.m.)

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