BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA:NATO TROOPS PREVENT THOUSANDS OF MOSLEMS FROM RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES IN BOSNIA

Record ID: 646456

  • Title: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA:NATO TROOPS PREVENT THOUSANDS OF MOSLEMS FROM RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES IN BOSNIA
  • Date: 28th April 1996
  • Summary: USORA AND SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (APRIL 28, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) USORA, NEAR DOBOJ, BOSNIA 1. PAN BUSES AND IMPLEMENTATION FORCE (IFOR) VEHICLES SURROUNDED BY MOSLEMS 0.10 2. MCU MAN GESTICULATING 0.17 3. CU MINARET PULL OUT LV MEN 0.24 4. SV MEN NEAR BUSES 0.29 5. CU MAN HOLDING PASSENGER LIST 0.34 6. SV MOSLEMS QUEING FOR BUS AND BOARDING IT 0.40 7. SV MOSLEMS ABOARD BUS 0.45 8. SVS IFOR VEHICLE/IFOR TROOPS SEARCHING PEDESTRIANS(2 SHOTS) 0.58 9. SLV ROAD SIGN 1.02 10.SV TROOPS SEARCHING BUS 1.10 11.LV IFOR TANK AND BUS STATIONARY 1.12 12.SV IFOR VEHICLES 1.18 13.SLV IFOR ROADBLOCK 1.24 SARAJEVO, BOSNIA 14. SLV ESTABLISHING VIEW BOSNIAN VICE-PRESIDENT EJUP GANIC SPEAKING TO REPORTER 1.27 15. MCU GANIC SPEAKING TO REPORTER (ENGLISH) 2.02 16. MCU REPORTER TAKING NOTES 2.06 17. MCU GANIC TALKING TO REPORTERS (ENGLISH) 2.18 18. SLV ESTABLISHING VIEW LEIUTENANT COLONEL MAX MARRINER SPEAKING TO REPORTER 2.22 19. MCU MARRINER TALKING TO REPORTER (ENGLISH) 3.10 TRANSCRIPT SQ 15: GANIC: "IFOR HAS TO CHOOSE EITHER TO SECURE THE PEDESTRIANS WHILE THEY VISIT GRAVEYARDS - THAT MEANS TO TELL THE SERBIAN MILITIA TO BEHAVE ACCORDING TO THE BOOK - OR TO SIMPLY ACCEPT PRESSURE FROM KARADZIC AND MLADIC AND TO PREVENT THE BOSNIAN MOSLEMS FROM GOING THERE." TRANSCRIPT 16: GANIC: "SO I THINK THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAD TO CHOOSE PEACE IN BOSNIA OR KARADZIC AND MLADIC BE REMOVED." TRANSCRIPT SQ 19: MARRINER: "THE DAYTON ACCORD CLEARLY STATES THE ARMIES AREN'T ALLOWED TO MOVE FREELY AROUND. IN THE ZONE OF SEPARATION THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS ON THE CARRIAGE OF WEAPONS AND THE MOVEMENT OF TROOPS AND JUST IN THE SAME WAY THOSE CONDITIONS ARE THERE TO ENSURE A LASTING PEACE. WE ALSO MUST LOOK AT THE MOVEMENT OF LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE INTER-ENTITY BOUNDARY LINE. IF FIVE, TEN, A DOZEN PEOPLE WISH TO MOVE IN AN ORGANISED MANNER IN ACCORDANCE WITH LOCAL PARTIES AND AUTHORITIES AND THEY DO SO, THAT IS NOT SEEN AS A RISK TO PEACE. BUT FIVE OR TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE TURNING UP AT THE INTER-ENTITY BOUNDARY LINE, PERHAPS UNANNOUNCED, IS DEEMED AS A POTENTIAL THREAT TO PEACE AND STABILITY IN THAT AREA AND THAT MUST BE LOOKED AT VERY CAREFULLY." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 13th May 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SARAJEVO AND USORA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
  • City:
  • Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Reuters ID: LVADO9NGDKMFDO68R5RROT8N3Z1Z
  • Story Text: INTRO: More Moslem families have been prevented from returning to their homes in Serb controlled areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina by NATO troops, who say "they are a potential threat to civil order".

    ----------------------------------------------------------------- NATO troops on Sunday (April 28) prevented thousands of Moslems from returning to their home villages, now in Serb-controlled areas, saying it was a potential threat to civil order.

    The Bosnian government reacted by accusing the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) of appeasing renegade Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, an indicted war criminal, by preventing Moslem movement rather than removing Serb militia from the disputed villages.

    Thousands of Moslems gathered near Tuzla and Doboj, waiting to return to their villages and tend their families' graves, part of the Moslem Eid al-Adha festival which started at dawn.

    But Nato troops prevented a mass exodus, allowing only a few coaches to move.

    Returning Moslems have clashed with Serbs in the past few days as the resident Serbs tried to prevent their return.

    Bosnian vice-president Ejup Ganic said IFOR had to choose between removing the Serb militia or preventing Moslem freedom of movement, and ultimately had to choose between peace or allowing Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic - also an indicted war criminal - to remain at large.

    IFOR spokesman Leiutenant Colonel Max Marriner said that neither military nor civilians in Bosnia had absolute freedom of movement across the inter-entity boundary and several thousand people trying to cross simultaneously constituted a threat to civil order.


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