U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 95/07/31 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

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

Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 95/07/31 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN

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FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

War in Bosnia

Acting Secretary Tarnoff Mtg. w/EU Representative Carl

  Bildt ...................................................1-2

--Discussion of Suspension of Sanctions on Belgrade .......2

U.S.-Russia Discussions: Christopher/Kozyrev Mtg. in

  Brunei ..................................................2-3

Update on Fighting/Humanitarian Situation: Bihac ..........3-4

Status of Rapid Reaction Force ............................4

Mtg. of NATO Military Committee ...........................4-5

Humanitarian/Refugee Assistance ...........................5

Status of Missing Bosnian Males from Safe Areas ...........6

Alleged Use of Gas in Zepa ................................6

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Q Is there going to be a Contact Group meeting in Washington?

MR. JOHNSON: What is going to happen here is that Carl Bildt, who represents the European Union and matters with respect to Balkans, is going to be in Washington on Wednesday. He's going to meet with the Acting Secretary of State, Mr. Tarnoff, and other U.S. officials. He's going to be accompanied on his trip by other representatives of the European Union and representatives of other European governments.

I'd like to note for the record that we appreciate Mr. Bildt's strenuous efforts. He's got a very difficult task, and we're looking forward to a productive discussion when he arrives later in the week.

I don't have anything specific to a Contact Group meeting being held in the context of his visit here. I don't think there are any plans for a full-scale Contact Group meeting to be held in Washington.

Since he has not yet arrived, I'm not going to exclude all possibilities; but I don't have any information that would lead me to believe that there's going to be a Contact Group meeting here later in the week.

Q Because the French are calling it a ministerial-level meeting of the Contact Group. That's not so, then?

MR. JOHNSON: No, I don't believe so. We're not expecting Foreign Ministers from all of the other countries. We're expecting Mr. Bildt and some other representatives of European countries. As you know, the Secretary of State is in Brunei.

Q Is there any special occasion or reason for the meeting and for the timing of the meeting?

MR. JOHNSON: None that I'm aware of. We continue to work hard to find ways to construct a negotiated settlement to the conflict in the Balkans, and Mr. Bildt's efforts could play a prominent role in that. But this is part of an on-going discussion that we have with Mr. Bildt and with our European allies. I wouldn't suggest that it was some sort of crunch point.

Q Will there be discussion of lifting the sanctions on Belgrade?

MR. JOHNSON: We've long had as part of the offer that we've on the table an exchange of suspension -- not lift -- of sanctions, as part of a package which would include the recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina, within its recognized territorial boundaries, by the FRY. That remains on the table. That's one of the issues that Mr. Bildt has been spending a great deal of time working on. So I would expect that aspects of that would certainly be a featured part of the discussion that we would have with him when he arrives later in the week.

Q David, the Russians seem to now be saying that they don't agree with the action taken by the Secretary General to turn over air campaign authority or bombing authority to the U.N. military representative on the ground. Has this Administration been in touch with the Russians on this or other Bosnia-related matters?

MR. JOHNSON: We've had a great deal of on-going discussions with the Russians. You will recall that in London the Secretary had a meeting with Foreign Minister Kozyrev, and I believe Secretary of Defense Perry had a meeting with the Russian Defense Minister.

I'd also draw your attention to the fact that at 9:00 in the evening our time -- 9:00 in the morning Brunei time -- the Secretary will again meet with Foreign Minister Kozyrev.

With respect to the U.N. Secretary General's giving the authority for his so-called key to his commanders in the field, we believe that's fully consistent with both our objectives and trying to set the stage for a negotiated solution to this conflict; to bringing pressure to bear on the Serbians to negotiate, and to negotiate in good faith; and to relieve the pressure on the so-called U.N. safe areas.

Q Do you have any information on fighting in the Bihac area?

MR. JOHNSON: I'd note that all of the information I have comes from U.N. sources, so you're dealing with a secondary source here. But according to the information I have, fighting continues in the Bihac enclave despite the Croatian Serb's promise to U.N. officials to end their assault and to withdraw.

U.N. reports that only 500 Croatian Serb troops have left the enclave and armor and artillery remain in position.

According to the U.N. the Croatian Serbs and their rebel Muslim allies attacked government-held towns this morning in the center and the north of the enclave.

Croatian troops continued to assist Federation forces north of the Livno Valley in an attack that has reportedly recaptured 80 square miles of Bosnian territory, including supply routes linking the Krajina to Bosnian Serb-held territory.

I'd also note for you that the humanitarian situation in the Bihac enclave continues to deteriorate. The UNHCR reports that 10,000 Bosnians have fled their homes following the Serb assault, including 4,000 who have taken refuge in the town of Bihac.

The ICRC is reporting that it is assisting 8,000 Bosnian Serbs who fled northwards after the Federation recaptured the towns of Bosanski Grahovo and Glamoc.

The UNHCR is reporting that its food stocks for the 170,000 people in the Bihac enclave are exhausted and that the last UNHCR convoy to Bihac took place on July 14.

Q Do you know of any planning to try to provide food for these people in any way other than convoys since convoys can't get through?

MR. JOHNSON: I think the most effective way would be to re- establish a convoy supply route. I don't know of any plans to supply through other means.

Q David, isn't the participation of the Croatian regular forces consistent with the idea behind the Federation that was, in part, sponsored by this government between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia?

MR. JOHNSON: I'd say that the two nations' work together is certainly consistent with the objectives that we set forth and the objectives they set forth when they signed their agreement here.

But I'd also want to note, as we've said over and over throughout this conflict, that there is not a solution on the ground through force of arms. The only solution which would be durable and which would be effective will come at the negotiating table. We are encouraging all participants in this conflict to pursue a diplomatic solution and not a solution through force of arms.

Q David, is the Rapid Reaction Force fully deployed yet, or do you know what the status -- the timetable is?

MR. JOHNSON: I don't have an up-to-date report for you on that. I'll see if I can find something out for you on its status and whether or not it is fully deployed and what plans it has for additions either in troops or materiel.

Q Also, last week, there was mention that the military advisors to the North Atlantic Council would meet over the weekend to develop a strategy plan for Bihac and that the NAC might actually meet today. Do you have anything on that?

MR. JOHNSON: I will confirm for you that NATO's military committee met on Sunday to discuss options with the aim of extending the so-called "Gorazde Rules" to the other U.N. safe areas. They have formulated a number of options. Those options will be forwarded to the North Atlantic Council on Tuesday.

At that time, we hope it will be possible for the NAC to take action to make those options effective since we continue to believe that expansion of the rules covering Gorazde to other safe areas can help stabilize the situation on the ground and help set the stage for a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Q It's sort of a technical question. When this is given to the Council tomorrow and they do -- let's just hypothetically say they do take it on board, does this then also take on board the fact that a decision to set this in motion would not have to go to the Secretary General? Or is this -- the military commander would also be able to call this strategy into play?

MR. JOHNSON: Let me look into that and get you a more well-thought answer. It's my understanding that this action by the North Atlantic Council is the key to getting this done.

Q David, about the refugees problem. Could you please highlight some of the steps that have been taken by the United Nations, and also following the London Conference? If you could give us some facts and figures on how these refugee problems are being taken care of?

MR. JOHNSON: I'd be glad to look into it and get you a comprehensive answer which provides the amount of expenditures that the United States has been providing.

As you know, we are the largest donor to the humanitarian operations in Bosnia. What I'd like to do is to, perhaps, come back to this later. I could get you a full rundown of all of the expenditures that have taken place and all of the actions that are being undertaken by the various international groups to help remedy the humanitarian situation and help address it.

As we've said many times before, the U.N. is feeding more than a million people very day in Bosnia, and I'd like to get you something that outlines how that's being done and who has undertaken the actions to make that effective.

Q David, there seems to be a lot of fund-raising going on in the Middle East and other Arab or Muslim countries. It's not entirely clear whether this would turn out to be for humanitarian supplies or for weapons. Is the U.S. or the U.N. or EU -- is anyone helping these countries to try and direct this fund-raising to an area that you all want it to go to?

MR. JOHNSON: The organs of the United Nations and the organs of the other international humanitarian groups on the ground there can, of course, use a good deal more resources in order to carry out their duties. I'm sure that they would welcome any and all contributions which help them to supply the needs of the population there. But I'm unaware of anyone who's -- if we have a technical person with the OIC or with any other group that's suggesting to whom and when and how to write their checks.

Q Will the Clinton Administration and the U.N. make any stronger statements about the Bosnian men who are apparently being held hostage or prisoners of war from the Srebrenica and Zepa regions?

MR. JOHNSON: We've made some pretty strong statements in the past, and we're certainly not retreating from those. I'd also note that we have Assistant Secretary Shattuck in the region. One of the things that he is doing is looking into that very situation, trying to assist the international human rights groups and the international humanitarian groups who are on the ground there in trying to get observers into the area so that they can verify the condition of those individuals who have been missing for some time.

We have not been shy about stating how concerned we are about the reported treatment of the men and boys from the safe areas that have been overrun. We have pushed to get observers in on the ground from international organizations who can give an impartial view as to what exactly these individuals' situation is.

Q Is there anything more on the use of gas in Zepa?

MR. JOHNSON: No, I don't have anything related to that.

Welcome back, Bill.

Q Thank you, David. As I've been out of the country for six weeks, could you bring me up to speed on reports last week in the press of the U.S. policy -- possible U.S. policy of flying French troops into safehavens as protection, and what is the status of the bombing policy insofar as authority to authorize bombing?

MR. JOHNSON: Bill, I can give you a couple of transcripts from the last several days which I think will bring you right up to speed on that. But you're asking me to go back over about the last two weeks and bring you from London through the NAC, through the U.N. Secretary General's press statement of I believe last Tuesday. I think that if you'll take a look at some of the materials we've put out during that period, it will lead you through all of that.

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(Press briefing concluded at 2:38 p.m.)

END