- Title: UNITED STATES: BOSNIA WOULD WELCOME DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. GROUND TROOPS
- Date: 2nd June 1995
- Summary: NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JUNE 2, 1995) (REUTERS TELEVISION - ACCESS ALL) 1. SCU BOSNIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MUHAMMED SACIRBEY SAYING NATO HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR HAVING BACKED DOWN TO "TERRORISM, WHICH INVITES FURTHER TERRORISM" (ENGLISH) 0.48 2. SCU SACIRBEY SAYING UNITED STATES TROOPS ARE WELCOME IN BOSNIA (ENGLISH) 2.00 SEQUENCE 1 transcript: SACIRBEY :"I WOULDN'T SO MUCH FOCUS ON RETALIATION AS TELLING NATO AND THE UNITED STATES TO KEEP COURSE. FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW THEY'VE LOST COURSE. THEY SHOULD ISSUE AN ULTIMATUM WARNING THE SERBIANS NOT TO HIT CIVILIANS, NOT TO USE HEAVY ARTILLERY IN THE EXCLUSION ZONE AND SAFE AREAS AROUND TOWNS LIKE SARAJEVO AND TUZLA. IN FACT THE SERBIANS CONTINUE TO DO THAT. THEY'VE MURDERED 76 OF OUR PEOPLE. THEY TOOK U.N. HOSTAGES BUT NATO BACKED DOWN. OBVIOUSLY NOW THEY'RE PAYING THE RPICE TO HAVING BACKED DOWN ONCE TO TERRORISM. AS I'VE SAID IN THE PAST IF YOU GIVE IN TO TERRORISM THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE INVITING FURTHER TERRORISM" SEQUENCE 2 transcript: SACIRBEY :"THESE U.S. FORCES WILL NOT BE THERE TO HELP THE BOSNIANS FIGHT THE WAR. IN FACT WE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE DID NOT ASK FOR U.S. GROUND TROOPS TO HELP US FIGHT THE WAR. NEVERTHELESS U.S. GROUND TROOPS, COMING FROM A FRIENDLY COUNTRY ARE CERTAINLY MOST WELCOME AND WE WANT TO CO-OPERATE WITH THEM. WHAT WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THE U.S. CONGRESS TO DO IN THIS SITUATION IS USE THIS ADDITIONAL LEVERAGE OF U.S. GROUND FORCES BEING POTENTIALLY COMMITTED TO HELP RESCUE EUROPEAN FORCES TO TELL THE EUROPEANS THAT "YOU'VE TRIED TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM FOR 3 YEARS TO BASICALLY HAVE SOLUTIONS, IT HASN'T WORKED. NOW WE'RE COMMITTING OUR RESOURCES MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. LET US TAKE CHARGE AND LET US DO THE JOB RIGHT" I THINK EVERYONE KNOWS HOW TO DO THE JOB RIGHT , THEY'RE JUST NOT WILLING TO DO IT. THERE'S A LACK OF POLITICAL WILL AND I FRANKLY AM DISAPPOINTED AT ALL LEVELS AT THIS LACK OF POLITICAL WILL AND NOW IT IS FAIR ENOUGH TO SAY IT IS HAUNTING ALL OF US" Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 17th June 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA5F155SJSWON36I3ICRGKFAHP0
- Story Text: Bosnia's new foreign minister Muhammed Sacirbey said on Friday (June 2) his government would welcome the deployment of United States (U.S.) ground troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"What we would encourage the U.S. to do here is to have the U.S. committed to being potentially ready to rescue U.N. forces in Bosnia", Sacirbey told Reuters Television.
Answering a question on how Bosnia intended winning back lost territory in the absence of the lifting of the arms embargo, Sacirbey expressed disappointment at the lack of political will from the Western powers.
"We have the support of most of the world - political support - it is a shame that those in the best position to help don't seem to have the will to stand up to aggression and genocide', he said.
"We have the will to fight - no choice but to fight - we have no other home to go to. No one is willing to take any more of us in - and most of us don't want to leave".
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