'The armies are silent and the
guns are now being stored away.'by Kurt Shork
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia, April 20 (Reuters) — The commander of the NATO-led peace force in Bosnia said on Saturday he was generally satisfied with compliance by the country's three armies in returning troops to barracks and weapons to storage sites. "It is very clear that everything hasn't been done that we had hoped to see done... but we do see an intent to comply on all parts," said Admiral Leighton Smith during a visit to a Serb barracks and weapons storage site outside Banja Luka.The Dayton peace accord which brought an end to 43 months of war in Bosnia late last year required the country's three formerly warring armies to return troops to barracks and heavy weapons to storage sites by midnight last Thursday. The NATO commander said technical problems were responsible for most of the difficulties associated with meeting the deadline and that continued progress towards full compliance was expected.
As Smith walked through the sprawling Serb barracks and weapons storage facility on Saturday he saw many scores of heavy weapons including surface-to-surface missiles, tanks, truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns and artilley pieces. Most of the barrels were wrapped in heavy plastic sheeting to protect them from the weather and virtually all the weapons appeared to be in good condition.
Although compliance with Dayton by the Bosnian Serb Army in the Banja Luka area is not complete, that seems to mirror the situation with all three armies across the country as a whole. "There is a very high degree of compliance (but) not every single (Bosnian Serb) soldier and (Bosnian Serb) asset is in a cantonment site yet,'' said British Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Barry whose 2nd Battalion Light Infantry operate out of Banja Luka. "We're very satisfied they have made an enormous effort and have largely demobilized and concentrated those forces in those barracks and cantonment sites."
NATO estimates standing armies totalling about 300,000 men have been halved as a result of the Dayton accord and that 750 tanks, 1,300 artillery pieces and 3,500 mortars have been put into storage. "The military picture in Bosnia looks more and more like the image of stability that the Dayton signatures envisaged," Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Walker, the NATO ground force commander in Bosnia, said on Saturday. "The armies are silent and the guns are now being stored away."
Walker met the three Bosnian armies on Saturday to discuss compliance and establish a process for the ongoing monitoring of barracks, storage areas and cantonment sites.
Apr 19 · Adm. Smith: D+120 Containment Is Progressing, Not Complete
Apr 18 · Warring Parties Won't Make D+120 Containment Deadline
Apr 17 · NATO Turns Up the Heat as D+120 Nears
Apr 16 · Thursday Marks D+120 In NATO's Mission
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