 |
Accord on Balkan Arms Control Still in Doubt
By Rolf Soderlind
OSLO, June 11 (Reuters) -- The signing of an important Balkan arms control accord remained in doubt late on Tuesday as negotiators remained locked in a dispute over the status of parties in the conflict in former Yugoslavia. The accord, drawn up in Vienna over the past six months, contains quotas for sweeping arms cuts across the Balkans, the exchange of military information, and provisions for on-site inspections.
But instead of the accord being signed at 0930 GMT in Oslo as planned, the five parties involved in the conflict were still wrangling over a final obstacle hours later. "We should not expect this to be easy," said Vigleid Eide, a retired Norwegian general, who chaired the Vienna talks as an Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative.
"This is an arms control negotiation situation where they came straight from the battlefield. I think we expected some last-minute difficulties but more related to the arms control issue itself and not this political side-issue."
The parties had until midnight (2200 GMT) to sign the accord to adhere to a timetable laid down at last October's peace agreement at Dayton in Ohio, which ended four years of war in former Yugoslavia.
Bilateral meetings were continuing in an Oslo hotel late on Tuesday between delegates from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian-Herzegovina (Muslim-Croat) Federation and Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb territory).
The Sarajevo government was insisting it be made clear in the accord's preamble that only the first three parties were states and the latter two were "entities." One concern for Bosnia's Muslim-led government was to ensure there was no doubt that the Bosnian Serb region was part of Bosnia-Herzegovina and not a separate state. Eide said delegates were at a deadlock over the accord's wording relating to the status of two of the parties.
"It is now a question of political decisions so you have togo back to the capitals, the governments," he told reporters. "We have a good chance but we need a bit of movement and instructions from the capitals (in the next few hours)."
Eide said one idea on the table was to produce an associated document to address the issue of states versus entities, but all parties had to be involved. "It is very important that those who are parties stay parties because the Republika Srpska we really need to have in the deal to capture the weapons," he said.
He said the clock could be stopped for a few days -- a classic trick in international arms talks to artificially meet a deadline -- and another attempt be made to resolve the issue at an international follow-up conference on the embattled peace process in Florence later this week. Details have yet to be released but the accord, if signed, should herald large cuts in tanks, armoured combat vehicles and aircraft, assault helicopters and artillery of 75mm and above. |
Berserkistan, June 7 · Arms Deal Fails Over Republika Srpska Issue
Berserkistan, June 6 · Deadline Looms for Arms Control Talks
Berserkistan, June 5 · Bosnian Serb Recognition Derails Arms Talk
Berserkistan, June 5 · Bosnia, Croatia, Yugoslavia Close to Arms Deal
OSCE in Bosnia
Berserkistan is a world news service of Michael Linder Productions, Inc.
©1995-1996, All Rights Reserved