(6 Jul 1996) English/Nat
There is no real peace in Bosnia, according to the commander of the NATO-led forces in the country.
Admiral Leighton Smith said that's because no side in the conflict really respects freedom of movement.
Smith called for both the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serbs expand freedom of movement.
The American commander of the NATO-led Bosnian peace implementation force on Saturday accused both Muslims and Croats of not respecting freedom of movement.
Admiral Leighton Smith warned that abuses were threatening peace in the area and may lead to a permanent border between the two sides.
He made the statement - a rare venture into political commentary - after signing an agreement determining the boundary line between the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serb Republic.
SOUNDBITE:
"I'm going to tell you in my own personal view right now we haven't got the right attitude towards this line and we also, just disregard the line for a moment, we still have the same problems within the Federation with respect to freedom of movement. It does not occur in this country to the degree that any responsible human being would want to exist, so it needs to be expand and the best way to do that in my view is for the political leadership of this country to stand together and make a commitment to it, and I said that to you this morning I think in about those same words".
SUPER CAPTION: Admiral Leighton Smith - commander of the NATO-led peace force
The Dayton accord proposes a loose confederation of the two groupings and the right of all refugees of the war to return to their former homes.
But some Muslim refugees returning to Serb-held lands have been beaten up.
And some Serb residents who remained behind in Sarajevo suburbs and were recently handed over to the Federation have been harassed.
But the international peacekeepers of I-FOR are determined to clamp down on these abuses of the agreement.
SOUNDBITE:
Let's get our heads right about this business about freedom to move around the country.I don't control the federation police, I don't control the Republic of Srpska police. We can knock down check points but we cannot issue them orders, I would look to the political bodies to do that.
SUPER CAPTION: Admiral Leighton Smith - commander of the NATO-led peace force
I-FOR is also determined to stop other violations of the accord.
Speaking in Sarajevo, a spokesman confirmed that tanks belonging to the Bosnian Serb army had been found at an illegal storage site near the Bosnian Serb military headquarters in Han Pijesak.
Lieutenant-Colonel Max Marriner said I-FOR had immediately deployed troops to show the Bosnian Serbs that they had to abide by the terms of the agreement.
The Bosnian Serb army has assured I-FOR they will return to the weapon sites allowed under the Dayton Agreement although as yet there is no proof of this.
SOUNDBITE:
"Yesterday afternoon, Multi National Division North was conducting a helicopter reconnaissance mission in the area of Mount Zep just southeast of Han Pijesak. And this mission found several VRS (Army of Republic of Srpska) tanks and armoured vehicles apparently outside a registered cantonment site. In a measured response to this unacceptable situation we deployed M and D North Assets (multinational division north) to the area and put ground forces there on alert to demonstrate the resolve to perform our mandated military function and send a clear message to the VRS."
SUPER CAPTION: Lieutenant-Colonel Max Marriner, IFOR spokesman
The Bosnian Serbs have repeatedly tried to hamper the investigation.
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