YUGOSLAVIA / BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: US ENVOY HOLBROOKE SPEAKS AFTER TALKS WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC / REPAIR WORKS START ON KISELJAK ROAD

Record ID: 636663

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA / BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: US ENVOY HOLBROOKE SPEAKS AFTER TALKS WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC / REPAIR WORKS START ON KISELJAK ROAD
  • Date: 4th October 1995
  • Summary: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA/ROAD BETWEEN KISELJAK AND AND SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (OCTOBER 4 AND 5, 1995) (AGENCY POOL -- ACCESS ALL) BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA (OCTOBER 4, 1995) 1. LV UNITED STATES (U.S.) ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD HOLBROOKE ARRIVING FOR TALKS WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC (NIGHT SHOTS) (2 SHOTS) 0.22 2. CUTAWAY OF CAMERAMAN 0.26 (OCTOBER 5, 1995) 3. SV HOLBROOKE LEAVING AFTER TALKS, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (ENGLISH) (NIGHT-SHOT) 1.15 4. SV HOLBROOKE BEING DRIVEN AWAY (NIGHT SHOT) 1.30 5. SLV DAY SHOT OF HOLBROOKE AND AIDES WALKING THROUGH HOTEL LOBBY AND EXITING HOTEL 1.36 6. SV DAY SHOT OF HOLBROOKE GETTING INTO CAR AND LEAVING (2 SHOTS) 1.55 ROAD BETWEEN KISELJAK AND SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (OCTOBER 4, 1995) 7. GV DAMAGED ROAD 1.59 8. LV UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) TROOPS AND FRENCH ENGINEERS ON ROAD 2.04 9. LV/SV TANK LOWERING TEMPORARY BRIDGE INTO POSITION (3 SHOTS) 2.19 10.SV U.N SOLDIERS ON ROAD 2.21 11.LV/SV BRIDGE BEING LOWERED INTO POSITION (3 SHOTS) 2.42 12.SV U.N. SOLDIER INSPECTING UNDERSIDE OF BRIDGE 2.47 13.SV TANK ROLLING OVER NEW BRIDGE ON ROAD 3.03 14.SV U.N. SOLDIER DIRECTING VEHICLE 3.11 SEQUENCE 3 TRANSCRIPT: HOLBROOKE: "YOU'VE ALL WAITED ALL THIS TIME? I'M VERY IMPRESSED. YOU KNOW, TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN. - THAT'S A JOKE. (CEASEFIRE?) WE HAD A VERY, VERY INTENSE DISCUSSION WITH PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC AND FOREIGN MINISTER (MILAN) MILUTINOVIC. WE WILL RETURN TO SARAJEVO TOMORROW MORNING TO CONTINUE THE TALKS. WE TALKED ABOUT MANY THINGS TONIGHT, BUT OUR MAIN SUBJECT WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF A CEASEFIRE. WE DO NOT HAVE A CEASEFIRE AT THIS POINT. BOTH SIDES WANT ONE BUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM IS STILL A PROBLEM. WE ARE TRYING TO NARROW THE DISTANCE, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW IN SARAJEVO TOMORROW." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 19th October 1995 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA/ ROAD BETWEEN KISELJAK AND SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
  • City:
  • Country: Yugoslavia
  • Reuters ID: LVACWJNUFFL4M1PHHPNPCCJ6KEYA
  • Story Text: United States (U.S.) peace envoy Richard Holbrooke on Thursday (October 5) failed to secure a Bosnia ceasefire from Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade and headed back to Sarajevo to continue his quest for a solution.

    "We do not have a ceasefire at this point. Both sides want one but the distance between them is still a problem," Holbrooke told reporters early on Thursday morning after emerging from six-and-a-half hours of talks with Milosevic.

    But Holbrooke, in line with his steamroller diplomatic drive, was not giving up: "We are trying to narrow it (the distance). We will let you all know in Sarajevo tomorrow." Holbrooke arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday (October 4) with a "serious" proposal for a ceasefire by the Bosnian government. Both he and the government had refused to reveal details.

    The ceasefire is pivotal for the U.S.-brokered peace drive to settle the four-year-old Balkan crisis after the Bosnian rivals had agreed in Geneva and New York last month on a set of basic constititional principles for the future Bosnian state.

    A ceasefire would pave way for a summit conference to clinch peace in Bosnia.

    "We have had a very, very intense discussion with President Milosevic and Foreign Minister (Milan) Milutinovic. We will return to Sarajevo tomorrow morning to continue the talks," said Holbrooke, who is U.S. Assistant Secretary of State.

    "We talked about many things tonight, but our main subject was the possibility of a ceasefire." It was not immediately clear whether Milosevic had made any counter-proposals on behalf of the Bosnian Serbs in whose name he was negotiating.

    Meanwhile, a group of French United Nations (U.N.) engineers in Bosnia continued work on Wednesday on installing an alternative bridge on the Kiseljak to Sarajevo road.

    The route goes through Serb-held territories in the area of Hadzici. The road was supposed to have opened two days earlier but the Bosnian government said it was not safe as it was still mined and dangerous particularly around the notorious Sierra 4 checkpoint.

    The U.N. now expect the whole route - some 30 kilometres to be de-mined, and open by the end of October.


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