(16 Jul 1995) English/Nat
A group of 55 Dutch peacekeepers released by the Bosnian Serbs returned safely Sunday to U-N headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia.
The peacekeepers were detained by the Serbs Tuesday as they overran the so-called safe haven of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia.
The Dutch peacekeepers were ready to get back on their buses for the trip to the Serbian capital of Belgrade Sunday morning.
Released Saturday night by the Bosnian Serbs, the Dutch soldiers had spent the night at a hotel in the Serbian town of Novi Sad.
It gave them a chance to bathe and rest after their ordeal.
The Dutch peacekeepers had been detained since Tuesday when Bosnian Serb forces took over the eastern enclave of Srebrenica.
A Swedish Liaison officer in Novi Sad confirmed the peacekeepers had been treated well by their captors - but denied they had been hostages.
SOUNDBITE:
"All the guys this morning are relaxed and they have had their second shower and slept in a good bed. No problems so far and they have been treated very well all the way from Bosnia to there and also during their previous stay in Bosnia."
"Are they hostages or not?"
"They are not hostages, they have been detained and treated as good soldiers even if they have lost some of their personal equipment, they have their uniforms. They have not been stripped as the former hostages."
SUPER CAPTION: Lt-Col Fritz Gudmundsson, Swedish Liaison Office
They were a step nearer to freedom when they relaxed beside the tarmac at the airport in Belgrade.
A United Nations airplane was taking them to the Croatian capital - from where they would travel on to other destinations.
Their ride out had been secured by Russia after negotiations with the Bosnian Serb leadership.
In the past, the Bosnian Serbs have used hostages as a bargaining tool, to try to avoid the threat of NATO air strikes.
More than 300 U-N hostages taken after NATO air strikes against Serb targets in May were freed after the Serbs reportedly won assurances of no more air strikes.
That pledge was broken with last minute NATO attacks against Serb tanks around Srebrenica, but the air strikes failed to halt the Serb offensive.
Nine Dutch peacekeepers were not able to board the plane Sunday.
The remaining Dutch detainees held by the Bosnian Serbs at their U-N observation posts in Srebrenica were given permission to leave Sunday evening.
The Dutch military confirmed the remaining nine were being transported to Potocari.
All 64 Dutch peacekeepers have now been freed.
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