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US Awaits Next Move by Karadzic By Robert Kearns
Perry was speaking at a news conference after a visit to Italian Defence Minister Beniamino Andreatta.
In Washington, White House and State Department officials called Karadzic's announcement unacceptable and said that U.S. forces in Bosnia as part of the NATO peace-keeping operation were prepared to arrest him on sight. Perry is bound for Sarajevo for talks with Bosnian leaders and a visit to NATO troops in northern Bosnia who have been
criticized for not arresting Karadzic and others indicted by the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague for acts committed during nearly four years of war.
Major Western powers have voiced dissatisfaction with Karadzic's statement that he had handed over power to his
deputy, Biljana Plavsic, but would retain his title as president of the Serb separatists until Bosnia-wide elections in September. "We will see what it amounts to in practice," Perry said when asked about the announcement. "It is my view that more must be done. It has to be clear that Karadzic is out of power and unable to influence events in the country."
Asked what more should be done, Perry said follow-up action would be determined after it became clear what the Bosnian Serb announcement meant. "That will become clear in the days ahead and as it becomes clear we can make a better decision about what the next steps will be," Perry said.
NATO's Implementation Force (IFOR) commanders in Bosnia have long said that they are not there to act as a police force, but to keep the warring parties apart under the U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accord that ended the fighting. Clinton administration officials have responded to criticism of that policy by saying U.S. troops would arrest those indicted for war crimes on sight, but U.S. officers on the ground in Bosnia have said that few of their troops know much about the indicted men.
Perry, who flew to Europe this weekend from talks in Saudi Arabia on the bombing at an air base in Dharan that killed 19 Americans, plans to meet Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic on Wednesday for talks on U.S. military aid.
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ROME, July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary William Perry said on Monday Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic must surrender all influence but the United States was waiting for him to take the next step before deciding what to do. He said a statement from Karadzic that he had handed over power to his deputy was a "first step" but added: "It should not and must not be a last step."
Berserkistan, July 1 · Despite Pressure, Rumors Karadzic Still President
Berserkistan, July 1 · Feeling Tricked and Embarrassed, Bildt Ponders Next Move
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