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German Politicians Want Troops to Stay in Bosnia
‘We could be contributing to a new outbreak
The participation of German troops in the force implementing the Dayton peace accord (IFOR) is their first ground deployment abroad since World War Two.
Despite a gradual acceptance in the international community that peacekeepers may have to stay more than a year to support Bosnia's return to peace and stability, Defence Minister Volker Ruehe says the mission must end after the allotted 12 months. But Klaus Rose, chairman of the parliamentary defencecommittee, told the news weekly Focus that "NATO will have to provide certain contingents on a locally restricted basis beyond December 20."
According to an advance release from Monday's edition, he said the military alliance would have to maintain the threat to use aerial force against aggressors who might endanger peace. German forces, whose mission is currently limited to support and logistics tasks, would have to take more responsibility, he said.
Focus said leading NATO states were working on a plan for some 20,000 troops to help guarantee peace in Bosnia after the end of IFOR's mandate. It said only about 5,000 would be stationed in potential hotspots in Bosnia. The rest would be aerial attack or rapid strike forces based in Italy or Hungary but ready to move into Bosnia at short notice.
Thomas Kossendey, the leader of the conservative grouping in the defence committee, said it was clear to a majority of committee members "that we could be contributing to a new outbreak of the war if we pull out completely." He said there should be a new deployment, "smaller, for a limited period and with a clear mandate."
The parliamentary foreign affairs spokesman of the opposition Social Democrats -- who have in the past been divided about the justification of military operations abroad -- said a large majority of his party backed a new armed mission. "We have to make a basic decision on which military means can be used to civilise this conflict and enable civilian reconstruction to go ahead," he told Focus. |
BONN, June 22 (Reuters) - Leading German parliamentary defence and foreign affairs experts have come out in favour of keeping troops in Bosnia as part of a new international mission once the current peacekeeping mission expires at the year's end.
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