Fiche du document numéro 13324

13324

Thursday April 21, 1994

19940421

Giacomo, Carol

1994-04-21ReutersBosniamorethanjustcivilwar.pdf

86920

1994-04-21ReutersBosniamorethanjustcivilwar.html

Bosnia more than just 'civil war'

lba0000020011120dq4l01lh8

Reuters

Boudiguet

Dépêche d'agence

EN

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuter) - Secretary of State Warren Christopher
said Thursday that Serb onslaughts in Bosnia amount to more than just
civil war and demand robust international action to stop the bloody
creation of a Greater Serbia.

Christopher tried to lay down a firm policy justification for President
Clinton's proposal for expanded allied military and diplomatic action
in Bosnia before a panel of sceptical senators who kept asking why
there, why now and why us?

Portraying a conflict that could embroil Europe in warfare and a tide
of refugees, he said important U.S. and allied interests were at stake
and took exception when Senator Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina
Democrat who chairs the appropriations subcommittee, said the
Serb-Moslem fighting was merely a civil war unworthy of U.S. military
involvement.

I think this is more than a civil war, Christopher said. The
aggression of the Serbs, I think, is quite transparent.

They have in mind a Greater Serbia. They're looking to the south to
Kosovo, possibly to Macedonia. They're moving into Bosnia and perhaps
into Croatia.

His comments represented the fullest assessment yet of what the United
States views as Serb military objectives. Last week, as Serbs advanced
on Gorazde, U.S. spokesmen explained away allied inaction saying they
did not know Serb intentions.

Christopher was following up on Clinton's announcement of Wednesday
that he was proposing to NATO allies and Russia -- another major player
in efforts to negotiate a peace -- that NATO vastly expand its threat
of air strikes against Serb positions, tighten enforcements of economic
sanctions and step up humanitarian relief efforts.

Clinton and Christopher both stressed that the objective of a bolder
new allied effort would be to force the Serbs to the peace table, but
said air strikes could also raise the price for continued attacks on
besieged Moslem enclaves like Gorazde even if they could not stop them
entirely.

NATO was expected to take up the Clinton proposal soon. Although
Christopher said he thought discussion would begin Friday, NATO
officials said no date had been fixed.

Allies like Britain and France, who have peacekeeping troops in Bosnia,
have in the past opposed increased NATO air strikes, as has Russia, an
ally of the Serbs.

Hollings and others rubbed some political sore points by saying the
administration seemed more interested in allied government support than
that of the Congress, and noting it had backed away from comparable
U.S. commitments in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda, where only blacks were
involved.

Christopher said the administration was consulting Congress regularly
and that the difference between Bosnia and the other trouble spots was
national interest.

We're taking these steps because the United States has an important
strategic interest and an important humanitarian interest in Bosnia,
he said. We have a strategic interest in preventing a broader European
conflict ... in maintaining NATO as a credible force for peace in the
post-Cold War Europe.

We have an interest in stemming the flow of refugees and bringing the
vast tragedy to an end.

Christopher said the time had come when even a cautious secretary of
state like him must press for a strong, robust position to ensure
that this conflict does not spread.

Shortly after Christopher spoke, Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole and
other senators of both parties introduced an amendment requiring the
president to unilaterally lift the arms embargo against the Bosnian
Moslems.

Although Clinton is often criticised for wavering on Bosnia and other
trouble spots, taking softer positions than those he pushed as a
presidential candidate, Christopher took a swipe at Republican
predecessor George Bush on that score.

This aggression began in 1992 on somebody else's watch, he said in
reference to Bush, who left office in January 1993.

Christopher also tried to allay fears the Bosnia conflict was dividing
the great powers into rival camps, with Moscow backing the Serbs and
Washington the Moslems.

He said the United States was in very close consultation with the
Russians who seemed on the verge of being outraged at broken Serb
promises over cease-fires and peace moves.

(c) Reuters Limited 1994