U.S. Department of State 96/01/23 Daily Press Briefing

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

U.S. State Department Directory

Subject: U.S. Department of State 96/01/23 Daily Press Briefing

[...]

FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

Implementation of Dayton Accords .......................3-11

--Prisoner Exchanges/Releases ..........................3-4,6,8

--Separation of Forces/Zone of Separation ..............6-7

--Departure of Foreign Forces ..........................6-11

Investigation of Atrocities ............................8-9

Report of Search for U.S. Citizen Linked to Extremists .10

[...]

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Q Back to the business at hand. Mr. Shattuck has been in to see President Izetbegovic and now apparently has Izetbegovic's promise to go ahead with the prisoner exchange. That was delayed, of course, by their demands to know about the whereabouts of 20,000 missing Muslims.

That was hours ago. Can you give us any accounting whether the exchange has moved forward since? How many people have been exchanged? How many remain to be exchanged? Estimates will be fine, thank you.

MR. BURNS: I don't have an accounting of how many people have been exchanged. We know it's somewhere in the range of 300, but I don't have an exact figure. I just spoke to John about half an hour ago. He is in Frankfurt. He'll be arriving back in the United States tomorrow.

In his meeting with President Izetbegovic, John Shattuck pushed very hard for complete Bosnian Government compliance with the prisoner exchanges. It's their obligation to release all the prisoners that they currently hold.

In his meeting with President Milosevic yesterday, he made the same point. President Milosevic told him that he has a guarantee that the Bosnian Serbs will release all their prisoners. President Izetbegovic said that the Bosnian Government would continue the prisoner releases.

We hope and we expect that "continue" means all the prisoners will be released expeditiously.

We are determined that all of the parts of the Dayton Accords be adhered to, and that commitments made at Dayton be fully adhered to. That is the point that he made.

I would also draw you to Secretary Christopher's remarks last evening on PBS in which he said that, really, what's at stake here is our ability to have, in effect, a normal relationship with the parties to the Dayton Accords; that if they cannot live up to the Dayton Accords, they cannot be assured of full cooperation with us. For instance, on the issue of equip and train. We can't forward with equip and train if the Bosnian Government has not met its obligations under the Dayton Accords.

So it was a very serious discussion this morning. I know that John Shattuck left feeling that the Bosnian Government was headed in the right direction on this. He also had meetings with Admiral Smith, with Carl Bildt, with Michael Steiner, Jock Covey, all of whom are, of course, working on the civilian side of this issue.

Q Let me pick up quickly on two things. Clearly, you're saying you don't have a promise from Izetbegovic to release all the prisoners, just that prisoners will be released. Presumably, that could take any number of days or weeks or months. Am I correct, you don't have a promise to release all the prisoners?

MR. BURNS: You're correct. As I understand it from my phone call with John Shattuck, we do not have an ironclad commitment and promise. We certainly expect that they will be released.

The conversation was productive this morning. Now, we're looking for results from the Bosnian Government.

Q The other thing. The Secretary's threat, which was an unvarnished threat to withhold rehabilitation assistance, to withhold training and equipment for Bosnian Government forces, isn't that an unconditional -- speaking of what's unconditional and what isn't unconditional -- he said the commitment to exchange prisoners is an unconditional promise.

How about the U.S. side? Is there linkage? Where do you -- on what part of the accord do you draw your threat that if you don't get quid, there won't be quo?

MR. BURNS: I think the message to all three parties of the Dayton Accord is, you must fulfill all aspects of the Dayton Accord to have a good and friendly and productive relationship with the United States.

Q Mustn't you fulfill all your commitments of the Dayton --

MR. BURNS: We are fulfilling our commitments.

Q Not if you hold back rehabilitation assistance.

MR. BURNS: I'm sorry, Barry.

Q Am I wrong?

MR. BURNS: Yes, in this case. The Dayton Accord was an agreement freely entered into by three parties. There are very specific and public commitments made as part of that accord.

We assume first and foremost, as the foundation, the basement level, actually, of our relationship that the Dayton Accords will be implemented fully. If the Dayton Accords are implemented fully, then each of these parties can expect friendly and productive relations with the United States.

I think the point the Secretary was trying to make is that if they're not implemented fully, then the parties have to understand there will be limitations on what we can do. That message is abundantly clear, perfectly clear, to all the parties.

The Secretary certainly was not making a threat last night. He was simply issuing a reminder of the fundamental realities of life. One of the fundamental realities is, if you meet your commitments, we'll meet ours.

Q Obviously, we have no problem here. We understand that their commitment is unconditional. I was asking about the U.S. commitment. I didn't know it was conditional.

MR. BURNS: Our commitments are derivative of the central fact of life in Bosnia, which is the Dayton Accords. It's the central agreement that regulates life there and that we hope will ensure peace throughout the next year and beyond.

Q Was this reminder delivered in person by either Holbrooke or Shattuck or anybody to the leaders of the three countries?

MR. BURNS: You can be assured that in Dick Holbrooke's conversations last week with all the parties -- not just with the Bosnian Government -- and in John Shattuck's conversations we have made clear that we expect all these commitments to be met, all provisions of the Dayton Accords to be met.

Let's just review where we are. On the most important issue, Admiral Smith and General Joulwan report that we are doing very well on separation of forces. That's the major part of the Dayton Accords; the zone of separation has been created. That's the major function of the military forces that we have in the field. Things are going quite well on that score.

On the issue of prisoner release, we are dissatisfied and we are displeased that the deadline of January 19 has not been met, that these prisoner releases to continue to trickle forward, and that there is not complete agreement on adherence to this part of the agreement. We expect that all sides will meet it.

On the status of the mujahidin, the foreign forces that we know have been resident in Bosnia, we think that a majority of them have departed, most of them through Croatia, but that all of them have not departed. We are looking to the Bosnian Government to exercise its influence on these foreign forces to leave completely.

Q I'll let someone else have a chance in a minute, but when the Secretary addressed this yesterday, there was a bit of a blip there. He spoke of one specific problem that the foreign troops have married local ladies, and it's hard to separate them from the other troops. The assumption there is maybe a special allowance could be made.

It isn't clear the way he responded whether he's referring to Croatians particularly nor how widespread can this be. I mean, is this a major problem in getting the foreign forces out, or is it just an incidental situation?

MR. BURNS: The Secretary was simply referring to what many of us have talked to in the past, and that is that a very small number of these fighters have taken Bosnian citizenship, have acquired it mainly through marriage. If that is the case, we would think that they would be demobilized from their present military functions but would remain in the country.

This is a very small number, Barry. Most of these people are well known. The body of them are well known as Iranian mujahidin. They belong in Iran, they don't belong in Bosnia; and they will be sent back to Iran, we're quite sure of that.

So I think that the authority that has to be responsible for letting us know whether or not these conditions have been met is the Bosnian Government. But the Bosnian Government and these foreign fighters can be assured that the American forces are watching them very closely, and that we won't tolerate anything that is beyond the bounds of the Dayton Accords.

Q Nick, does the -- I'll use the word "threat" for lack of a better word -- you can use any word you want -- of not equipping and training apply only to foreign forces, or is it a point of leverage the United States will continue to throw in the Bosnian's faces whenever they're dissatisfied?

MR. BURNS: First of all, let me just say that we expect that the Bosnian Government will meet its commitment under the Dayton Accords. We've had good conversations with President Izetbegovic over the last couple of days on a couple of occasions, and we do expect that the Bosnian Government is going to do the right thing here -- implement the accord that it signed on December 14 in Paris.

I don't believe that a couple of months from now we'll be having these types of discussions on these issues. But it is an important reminder to all the parties that the United States is going to be rigorous in demanding that the Dayton Accords be adhered to fully, and that's the only point that the Secretary and John Shattuck and Dick Holbrooke have been trying to make over the last couple of days.

Q So it doesn't apply just to equip-and-train; it could apply to any number of issues.

MR. BURNS: All of these are important. Creating the Zone of Separation, pulling back the militias, was a very important step. Now IFOR has said that getting rid of the heavy weaponry within the Zone of Separation is very important. The prisoner exchange is important. The mujahidin is important. It's all important.

These are commitments made, and these parties have to understand they have to honor their commitments.

Q (Inaudible)

MR. BURNS: I'm just answering your question.

Q The answer is we can pull the equip-and-train -- we're willing to use this condition in other cases rather than just the issue of foreign forces.

MR. BURNS: I don't want to speculate on what we may or may not say or do in the future; but I think what the Secretary said last night is perfectly clear, and I`m sure it's perfectly clear to everybody in the Balkans. When he travels to the Balkans late next week and into the following week, he'll be making this point personally. By then we expect that all prisoners will have been released, and we expect that the mujahidin and the foreign fighters will have left. And, if they haven't left, the parties can expect that this will be the first item in our agenda.

Q Nick, another question on this. There's some fuzziness on exactly what the IFOR Commander agreed to in terms of inspecting and safeguarding alleged atrocity sites. I think the word used -- the phrase used was "area surveillance." Does that imply that from time to time IFOR will fly airplanes over, or will people actually be stationed on the ground at these places?

MR. BURNS: First, let me say the United States Government is fully satisfied that Admiral Smith and Judge Goldstone have worked out an arrangement that is mutually satisfactory to both of them. Both of them have a commitment -- all of us have a commitment to seeing that the atrocities are investigated and that those responsible for them are brought to justice.

I think Admiral Smith's joint statement with Judge Goldstone speaks for itself. It talks about the fact that Admiral Smith is satisfied that IFOR will be able to provide appropriate assistance at the appropriate time to insure area security. I'm just reading from it now, I'm quoting from it.

Admiral Smith agreed to accept an offer by Justice Goldstone to have a Tribunal official be a liaison officer with IFOR. He has agreed to a request by Justice Goldstone that they will work together on any specific request in the future.

I thought that what they have both said overnight has been very constructive. The fact is that Admiral Smith said that IFOR is already conducting aerial surveillance of the suspected sites. So any thought by the Bosnian Serbs that they could tamper with these sites is illusory and naive, because we'll know if they've tampered with the sites.

He also said that IFOR patrols are in the area. He said that when IFOR builds up to its expected full troop level, he'll have more resources to devote to this problem. Justice Goldstone has said in this statement -- and I think he said subsequent to the issuing of the statement when he was in Sarajevo -- that he's fully satisfied with this arrangement. If they're satisfied, we're satisfied.

Q Could we go to a different subject?

MR. BURNS: Yes.

Q If you're going to leave this, you twice now referred to the mujahidin. Are they the major problem so far as foreign forces?

MR. BURNS: Yes.

Q Aren't there other forces in the country that you'd like to see out?

MR. BURNS: It's a motley crew. (Laughter) It's a motley crew, Barry.

Q (Inaudible) against their intrusion and now you want --

MR. BURNS: Barry, we've never supported them.

Q The situation is changed. All right. What's past is past.

MR. BURNS: And we certainly don't support it now. It's a motley crew of fighters from various causes around the world, and --

Q (Inaudible)

MR. BURNS: Barry, we have never given that kind of support to them.

Q Anyhow --

MR. BURNS: So the point is that the main body here are Iranians, Revolutionary Guards, and you know what we think of Iran. You know what we think of the work of the Revolutionary Guards, and we don't think that now with the arrival of 60,000 American and European and Asian troops -- we don't think these forces are needed. But, more importantly, the Dayton Accords call for their complete withdrawal.

Q Nick, on the subject of a motley crew, there's apparently "wanted" posters up at NATO checkpoints for a U.S. citizen who's been linked to Muslim extremists. Do you know anything about that -- in NATO checkpoints in Bosnia, on the lookout for an American?

MR. BURNS: I'm afraid I don't. I'll be glad to look into it an see what I can get for you, but I don't have any comment on that.

Charlie.

Q To tie up a loose end on the motley crew and the Iranians --

MR. BURNS: Thank you.

Q -- and the few who might have married local women and therefore gotten citizenship. Where do those people stand?

MR. BURNS: Where do they stand? If some of these individuals --

Q Let me rephrase it. Will you make exceptions for those people?

MR. BURNS: It's not our decision to make exceptions. It's the Bosnian Government's obligation to carry out the agreement. If the Bosnian Government comes to us, as it has, and says that a very small number of these people have acquired Bosnian citizenship, and if they are demobilized, then I think that's a situation that one cannot argue with.

However, the great majority of the people there under the rubric of the "motley crew," the foreign fighters, are clearly that. They're foreigners. They don't have a title to Bosnian citizenship. They ought not to be there, and they ought to leave. So I think we know what we're talking about here.

Q Nick --

MR. BURNS: Still on Bosnia?

Q One more on "motley." Follow-up on the same thing. Americans in general that have served as part of the motley crew that have been fighters in Bosnia, do you know anything about that?

MR. BURNS: Well, I don't know --

Q Are any remaining?

MR. BURNS: I have not personally seen any reports in any venue about Americans as part of this motley crew. If there are, if American citizens have been part of the foreign fighters, they ought to leave too. They ought to leave. They're not needed.

Q Are you aware that any exist?

MR. BURNS: I'm not aware of any. I'm not aware of any, no.

Q Nick, under "motley Serb paramilitaries". Have these folks managed to find some way to get back across the Sava? Are we monitoring them to know -- the ones that came from Belgrade, some of the notorious ones. Have they left Bosnia?

MR. BURNS: Bill, I'm not quite sure who you're referring to, but let me just say that it's well known to all militia and all soldiers in the area that a Zone of Separation has been created. They know where they can and cannot be, and IFOR has given very explicit instructions to all militia operating in the area about where they can be, about the disposition of their equipment and their arms.

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(Press briefing concluded 2:09 p.m.)

END