USA: UNITED STATES WELCOMES LAST MINUTE AGREEMENT BY DIVIDED GOVERNMENT ON BOSNIAN TOWN OF MOSTAR

Record ID: 337717

  • Title: USA: UNITED STATES WELCOMES LAST MINUTE AGREEMENT BY DIVIDED GOVERNMENT ON BOSNIAN TOWN OF MOSTAR
  • Date: 6th August 1996
  • Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 6, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN NICHOLAS BURNS AT NEWS CONFERENCE, JOURNALISTS 0.14 2. SCU BURNS SPEAKING ABOUT MOSTAR AGREEMENT (ENGLISH) 0.58 3. SLV JOURNALISTS TAKING NOTES 1.03 4. SCU BURNS SAYING PRESIDENT TUDJMAN DESERVES PRAISE FOR INFLUENCING THE CROATIAN POSITION (ENGLISH) 1.22 TRANSCRIPT SEQ. 2. BURNS, "IT IS A VERY POSITIVE AGREEMENT. IT IS AN AGREEMENT THAT THE E.U. DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT FOR. SIR MARTIN GARROD, THE E.U. RESPRESENTATIVE IN MOSTAR WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS, DID NOT GIVE UP WHEN THEY HAD TO GO INTO EXTRA TIME SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THERE WAS VERY STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS AND THE UNITED STATES, FROM BOTH SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER AND JOHN KORNBLUM, OUR ASSISTANT SECRETARY WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS, WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL CONCERNED. WE HOPE VERY MUCH NOW THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE ASSURED BY ALL SIDES." TRANSCRIPT SEQ. 4. BURNS, "I THINK ALSO PRESIDENT TUDJMAN DESERVES SOME PRAISE FOR HAVING EXERCISED THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT'S INFLUENCE ON THE PARTIES. WE TALKED YESTERDAY ON HIS ROLE AND I THINK HE CONCEDED THAT HIS ROLE WAS IMPORTANT IN THIS AND THE MEETING HE HAD WITH THE PRESIDENT ON FRIDAY WAS IMPORTANT AS WELL." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 21st August 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAD18GIXR8108ZVAEANWGWP8JAP
  • Story Text: - INTRO: The United States has welcomed a last minute agreement on a government for the bitterly divided Bosnian city of Mostar. Diplomats feared a new war might have broken out if a deal had not been reached.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------- The United States on Tuesday (August 6) hailed an agreement on the Bosnian city of Mostar which has averted a major crisis in the Bosnian peace process and paved the way for countrywide elections in September.

    U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns described the agreement between Moslems and Croats to form a city council in Mostar as "very, very positive".

    Burns showered praise on the European Union and in particular its representative in Mostar Sir Martin Garrod for securing the deal.

    Burns also confirmed the role played in the negotiations by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman who met U.S. President Bill Clinton last week. Tudjman deserved some praise, said Burns, for having exercised the Croatian government's influence on the parties involved.

    The EU, which supervised the local elections as part of a mandate to administer Mostar, had threatened to pull out unless the two sides, deeply mistrustful and embittered after a 10-month war, reached an agreement.

    If it had failed to come through, diplomats feared ethnic partition of Bosnia would be imminent and a new war for territory almost certain.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register