- Title: UNITED NATIONS: U.N. RULES OUT MILITARY RESPONSE TO SERB MORTAR ATTACK
- Date: 8th May 1995
- Summary: UNITED NATIONS (MAY 8, 1995) (AGENCY POOL - ACCESS ALL) 1. SCU UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS MADELEINE ALBRIGHT SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 0.29 2. SCU BOSNIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS MUHAMED SACIRBEY READING STATEMENT (ENGLISH) 1.33 SEQUENCE 1 TRANSCRIPT: ALBRIGHT "IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS A REQUEST
- Embargoed: 23rd May 1995 13:00
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- Location: UNITED NATIONS
- Reuters ID: LVA9S2X70FIBJJEEHN6QQ3RXQ86L
- Story Text: A United Nations (U.N.) decision ruling out a military response to a Serb mortar attack on Sarajevo that killed 11 people, drew harsh criticism from Washington and the Bosnian government on Monday (May 8).
A U.N. spokesman said military action in response to Sunday's attack could have "possible repercussions" for the U.N. mission in Bosnia and would therefore not be used. He said a protest note would be sent to the Bosnian Serb army commander, General Ratko Mladic, instead.
U.S ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright, angrily denounced the move saying she failed to understand the logic of turning down such a request given the kinds of activities that have taken place in and around Sarajevo recently.
"This issue is not closed; we will be following it very closely," she told reporters after a private Security Council meeting.
Bosnia's U.N. ambassador, Muhamed Sacirbey, said his government could no longer tolerate the shellings and warned Bosnian forces could be repositioned within the exclusion zone.
Sunday's attack used mortar weapons that are banned from an exclusion zone around the city. The United Nations says this ban is being increasingly ignored.
Dozens of banned heavy weapons, mostly in Bosnian Serb hands, have crept back inside the 20 km (12 mile) exclusion area the United Nations said.
On Monday, as the United Nations drew back from an earlier threat to punish the Serbs for shelling Sarajevo's Butmir suburb, Serb tanks fired seven shells onto Bosnian government positions from well within the exclusion zone.
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