A 'Test of the Political Will of the Federation'
SARAJEVO, May 1 (Reuters) — A U.S. program to equip and train the Bosnian army is being held up by disagreements between Muslims and Croats over a defense law and the presence of foreign forces, a Washington envoy said on Wednesday. James Pardew, U.S. special representative for military stabilization in the Balkans, told reporters that politicians in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation had to resolve their differences over a law on an integrated defense to clear the way for American military aid."The law is a major test of the political will to support the federation and is necessary for implementation of the U.S. equip-and-train program," Pardew said. "This law creates the defense structure which we believe is necessary to manage the program in Bosnia."
The Muslim-Croat federation covers 51 per cent of the country and a Serb entity controls the rest of Bosnia under a peace accord signed in December. The Serb "republic" has its own army and the federation has two: the Muslim-dominated Bosnian government army and a Bosnian Croat militia, the Croat Defense Council. American military assistance is targeted for the federation only. A primary goal and condition of the program, which Pardew valued at $500 million, is to create a single, integrated federation fighting force.
Although the main contest in the 43-month Bosnian war was between Bosnian government forces and separatist Serbs, Muslims and mainly Roman Catholic Croats fought a vicious war within a war in 1993 and early 1994. Lingering animosities from that conflict have made the crafting of a federation defense law that would produce an integrated, professional, non-political, non-religious army both difficult and time-consuming.
"Until this law is passed by the federation parliament the train-and-equip program for the federation cannot go forward," Pardew said. The special representative said he hoped that further talks proposed by the United States could resolve outstanding differences and lead to quick passage of a law which both the U.S. and the Bosnian parties would find acceptable.
The United States has also stated repeatedly that before its program can proceed all foreign forces, especially soldiers from Islamic nations, must have left Bosnia. Hundreds of Islamic holy warriors known as mujahideen made their way into Bosnia to fight on the government side during the war. U.S. and West European nations have said they fear some have terrorist connections. Most of the mujahideen have left but U.S. sources report some are still in Bosnia. Pardew said the U.S. military program was also blocked because of that.
"The second issue which has to be resolved is the foreign forces issue," he told reporters. "That continues to be something that has to be resolved."
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