U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 95/07/20 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)

Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 95/07/20 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN

[...]

FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

War in Bosnia

--Safe Areas: Status of Zepa; Srebrenica, Bihac.........12,14-15

--Refugee Flow; Bosnian-Serb Denial of UNHCR/ICRC

   Access ..............................................12,14

--Dutch Peacekeepers' Alleged Reports of Atrocities ....13-14

--Report re: Status of UN Commander of Ukrainian

   Forces ..............................................12

--Use of Ukrainian Troops as Human Shields .............14

--Airdrops of Food .....................................14-15

--Talks in London: Christopher Discussions w/Rifkind,

   French & Russian Foreign Ministers ..................12-13

--Reports of Serbs Wearing Blue Helmuts ................13

--Report of Demand from Karadzic re: Recognition of

   Borders .............................................14

--Potential for Widening of War ........................15

[...]

CYPRUS

U.S Determination to Work with Parties .................20

[...]

[...]

Q Could you tell us what you know about the situation in Zepa?

MR. JOHNSON: I can tell you pretty much only what you already know according to the press reports that you have seen. The information we have is that that's come from U.N. sources over the last 24 to 36 -- excuse me, the last 12 to 24 hours. It has been conflicting. It's apparent that there is intensified pressure on Zepa. Whether or not Zepa has actually fallen or not is the subject of some continuing and conflicting reports, so I can't tell you exactly what the status of the situation there is, because we, of course, don't have people there on the ground, and the U.N.'s ability to contact their personnel there has been limited.

Q What about the refugees? Has there been any significant refugee flow?

MR. JOHNSON: I have seen reports that there has been some refugee flow out of Zepa, but I don't have anything concrete on that. As you may recall from last night, we issued a statement, imploring the Bosnian Serbs to allow international observers to enter the area. And as far as I know, that has not taken place yet.

Q David, do you have anything on the press reports that the Ukrainian -- the U.N. Commander of the Ukrainian force that was in Zepa had actually gone over to the Serb side -- had left Zepa?

MR. JOHNSON: I don't. I don't have anything on that at all. In fact, I haven't seen that report. But because there hasn't been reliable contact with the forces in Zepa, it's impossible for me to address that, I'm afraid.

Q Is there anything that you can tell us about the talks that are taking place in London?

MR. JOHNSON: Not a whole lot, but I will tell you what I can. During the meetings yesterday here with Secretary Rifkind, both at the State Department and at the White House, and today between the Secretary and Foreign Secretary Rifkind in London, we believe we've come closer to a united position.

As we've said throughout the course of this week, we're determined to reach a united Alliance position which would strengthen UNPROFOR in some significant ways.

The Secretary has also been speaking on the phone to the French Foreign Minister who's currently in Morocco and who will arrive in London tonight, and he looks forward to seeing him, perhaps not tonight but in the morning, in order to take further steps in arriving at a united position.

Also, I would note for you just in terms of calendar events, that the Secretary is currently meeting with Foreign Minister Kozyrev.

Q David, you say you're coming closer to a united position after the talks with Mr. Rifkind. Are you talking about between the United States and the United Kingdom or among the group?

MR. JOHNSON: I'm talking specifically about between the United States and the United Kingdom. We've also been consulting with the French Foreign Minister, but we expect to see him tonight or perhaps in the morning, and we hope to move even closer together after we've had a chance to have that discussion.

But at this point, because activities are actually taking place in London, that's about as much as I can help you with that, I'm afraid.

Q David, can you say whether the French position is moving to match that of Britain and the United States?

MR. JOHNSON: I'd really rather not get into much discussion of the details of that, because I'm afraid I'm a little distant from where those conversations are taking place.

Q David, there are reports from refugees in Tuzla who had come from Srebrenica that the first indication they had that the Serbs were moving into Srebrenica was when they discovered Serbs who were wearing blue helmets over their Serbian caps. Do you have any reports on that, on how they got this or what happened?

MR. JOHNSON: As to how they allegedly got blue helmets?

Q If there were other reports to this nature.

MR. JOHNSON: I haven't seen any reports of that nature, and I don't know the origin of the blue helmets you referred to in the previous instance.

Q David, there are also press reports that the Dutch Government has been circulating eyewitness accounts provided by their peacekeepers of atrocities during the fall of Srebrenica. Has this Department or anybody in the United States received those eyewitness accounts?

MR. JOHNSON: Directly from the Dutch peacekeepers? I don't have any direct reports from that -- no, not from the Dutch peacekeepers as a source. We do have reports from the refugees who have strained into the area of atrocities which have taken place, but, and we've said, I think earlier in the week, that - how we found that outrageous that they continue to deny both the UNHCR and ICRC access, especially to the men and boys who had been detained.

I do know that ICRC negotiators met with Bosnian Serb representatives last night, but the Bosnian Serbs are continuing to insist in defiance of international war conventions that they're unable to grant access to the men.

Q David, have you received any assurances from the Bosnian Government that they would not use the Ukrainian -- that their forces will not use the Ukrainian peacekeepers as human shields?

MR. JOHNSON: I haven't seen anything directly with respect to that, as to whether the Bosnian Government has responded to that or not.

Q Have you seen a demand by Karadzic that the outer world, particularly a power such as the United States, recognize the Bosnian Serb nation?

MR. JOHNSON: Have I seen demands from him?

Q Yeah.

MR. JOHNSON: I haven't seen those. Our position on the recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina is quite clear. We don't plan to change that. We don't plan to change the recognition of the borders that we have already recognized there. We think that in order to come to any type of agreement like that, that we have to come to the conference table. That's the position we've made clear for months now.

Q David, on Bihac, when it was set up as a safehaven, there was an agreement that there would be airdrops of food into it, because it's a very isolated area. Apparently now for at least one year, these airdrops have not been coming in. Can you tell me why?

MR. JOHNSON: I think I'd refer you to the Pentagon for that, since it likely involves their aircraft and the safety of those aircraft. I think they'd be able to better address than I would.

Q The agreements, however, were made in terms of the overall foreign policy consolidation of the safehavens.

MR. JOHNSON: You're asking an operational question, though, as to whether and why they have not been continued, and I think that the Pentagon would be in a much better position to address that than I would.

Q Another subject.

MR. JOHNSON: If you wish.

Q Do you have anything -- yesterday there was quite a bit of concern about Bihac and concern that if there was continued fighting in the area, that it might draw the Croats in. Do you have any readout on Bihac?

MR. JOHNSON: I don't. I don't have an update on that. Are we still in Bosnia, or are we --

Q Yes, Bosnia. Several U.S. officials, including Mike McCurry, have said that the fear of a wider war could be one reason -- could be a U.S. national interest for getting involved. How great is the risk of a wider war, and how would that in your view play out?

MR. JOHNSON: I'm not going to get into speculation about how a wider war might play out.

Mike, and people standing behind this lectern, have made clear that we saw a vital interest in preventing the spread of this conflict. That was the reason that we had put our peacekeeping troops into Macedonia. That was one of the motivations for our backing of UNPROFOR, in addition to a humanitarian reason. It's a principle we hold to very much, but I'm not going to speculate about what a wider war would mean.

I think Nick, earlier in the week, talked about how a wider war would spread throughout the Balkans, potentially affecting even our NATO partners, Greece and Turkey. It's something we take very seriously, but I don't think I want to speculate on how it might spin out.

[...]

Q Despite the urgency of Bosnia, I think the issue of Cyprus received quite some attention, both in this building and over at Capitol Hill. A number of meetings were held. I think Mr. Beattie will be visiting the region in the Fall.

What's the overall Administration policy at this point to resolve the Cyprus issue? Is it, for example, to revive the confidence-building measures despite the fact that the Greek Cypriots declared them dead?

MR. JOHNSON: I would only say that we remain determine to work with the parties to achieve a peaceful solution to the problem in Cyprus. I will be pleased to look into your question about what our overall strategy is in more detail and see if we can come back to that another day.

[...]

(Press briefing concluded at 1:44 p.m.) END