From: pnmideast@igc.apc.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
Date: 15 Oct 92 23:13 PDT
Subject: IPS:'BOSNIA:SERBO-CROAT PACT LEAVES
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1708600003:000:5234
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!pnmideast    Oct 15 23:13:00 1992


From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS:'BOSNIA:SERBO-CROAT PACT LEAVES MUS

/* Written 12:06 am  Oct 13, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "BOSNIA: SERBO-CROAT PACT LEAVES MUS" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: BOSNIA: SERBO-CROAT PACT LEAVES MUSLIMS OUT IN THE COLD


geneva, oct 10 (ips/ victor ego ducrot) -- a ceasefire secretly
pacted between serb and croatian militias in bosnia-herzegovina
has left the muslim forces which control the republic's
government almost totally isolated.

it has also introduced a new element in the bosnian crisis,
one which the peace conference on bosnia-herzegovina, that has
been going on here since sep. 3, cannot afford to ignore.

the ceasefire agreement was secretly signed on thursday by the
high commands of radovan karadzic's serbian militia and matte
boban's croatian forces. it was confirmed saturday by miroslav
milocevic, karadzic's permanent delegate in geneva.

milosevic told ips that the military commanders of the
self-proclaimed 'bosnia-herzegovina serbian republic,' headed by
karadzic, and the 'herceg-bosna' republic, proclaimed by boban,
agreed to cease hostilities and to divide bosnia-herzegovina into
three ethnic cantons, one each for the serbs, croats and muslims.

the muslim authorities in bosnia, hemmed in in the beseiged
capital, sarajevo, and headed by president alija izetbegovic, do
not recognize the karadzic's self-proclaimed republic nor boban's
'herceg-bosna'.

the muslims are against the idea of separate cantons for each
ethnic group and want the geneva peace conference to confirm
bosnia-herzegovina as a unitary state, in which the rights of
each group would be guaranteed.

however, a diplomatic from the european community (ec) said
that the muslims are now on the brink of defeat and that the
division of bosnia-herzegovina is ''just a matter of time.''

bosnian foreign minister haris silajdzic admitted that the
serbo-croat accord ''introduced new elements of discussion,'' in
the geneva conference.

''the peace conference will now have to choose between
consummating acts of war and recognizing the military success of
serbian aggression or recommending to the united nations that we
(the sarajevo government) are allowed to buy arms for our
defence,'' silajdzic told ips.

thus far the conference, sponsored by the united nations and
the european community, had aimed at a global agreement,
consisting of a ceasefire in sarajevo and a political accord on
the country's future constitution.

the new situation shows that the first has point has not been
achieved, since serbian artillery continues to shell sarajevo.
the second is about to resolve itself, without regard for the
muslims' position, through the military success of karadzic's
serbs. (more)
----


the serbs now occupy 60 percent of bosnian territory, their
new croatian allies control 30 percent and only 10 percent is in
the hands of the muslims.

all the muslims have left now are the beseiged cities of
sarajevo and goradze. the bosnian capital is at the limit of its
resistance capacity since, as silajdzic admitted, it lacks water,
electricity and medicines and has food supplies for just one
week.

the un security council friday agreed to create an exclusive
military air zone over the whole of the republic, at the
initiative of the united states.

karadzic's serbs expressed their total disagreement with the
security council move, which they see as a means of protecting
the muslim forces, which have only infantry.

however, karadzic saturday dismissed the resolution as
unimportant since, he said, ''from the moment that 90 percent of
the territory is under our control, the surrender of the muslims
is only a question of time.''

karadzic has been in geneva for 10 days now for talks with the
peace conference's negotiators. he told ips that he would not
leave ''until the total ceasefire is signed and the international
community accepts the division of the republic in three
cantons.''

''we want the war to end before winter, but the muslims refuse
to admit their defeat because, if they do so, they would fail in
their attempt to create an islamic republic in the heart of
europe,'' he alleged.

u.s. and ec diplomats have argued that the serbo-croat pact
was possible because karadzic's militias proved their strategic
superiority to matte boban's forces when they took the city of
bosanki brod wednesday.

the pact is also a consequence of an agreement signed here 10
days ago between croatian president franjo tudjman and his
counterpart of the new yugoslavia (serbia and montenegro),
serbian ultra-nationalist dobrica cosic.

the two agreed to demilitarize the prevlaka peninsula, located
in croatian territory, but under serbian control since last
january, when the hostilities between croatia and the new
yugoslavia ceased.

according to the spokesperson of the office of the un high
commissioner for refugees, silvana foa, some 200,000 persons,
mainly muslims, risk death, detention or forced emigration in
banja luka and bosanki brod, now under karadzic's control.
(end/ips/trd/so/ved-ego/kb/92)
----