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War to Return to Bosnia If No Peacekeepers Stay Says US Intelligence Chief
‘Without such continued engagement, it is in my opinion... the former warring factions will turn once again to violent conflict in an attempt to achieve their aims’
"Without such continued engagement, it is in my opinion... the former warring factions will turn once again to violent conflict in an attempt to achieve their aims," Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told senators.
Hughes said war would be likely because Bosnian factions had not given up their goals, and conditions for civil order had not been established there. He told the Senate Intelligence Committee odds were poor an
effective international force could be organized to remain in Bosnia if U.S. ground troops were not included. But he said it was not impossible European allies would form a force of their own.
He said the European allies might change their present position that U.S. troops must participate. When pressed on whether Washington might also change its present position that all U.S. ground troops leave at the end of the year, he agreed that too was possible.
John Gannon, deputy director of intelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency, was reluctant to predict war.
But he agreed that if no international force remains in Bosnia, the factions will likely move rapidly to partition the country and prospects for peace would be poor. "In the short term, it is our judgment that the threat of
war is low," Gannon said. "Recent polling by the U.S. Information Agency reveals that the Bosnian people -- Serbs, Muslims and Croats -- are tired of war and are ready to rebuild their lives."
Gannon also said Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who agreed last week to step down, must still face war crimes charges at the Hague. But he conceded it would be difficult for NATO peacekeepers to arrest Karadzic to enforce that policy.
If Karadzic keeps any influence the prospects for fair elections in Bosnia in September are poor because of Bosnian Serb leaders' demonstrated intimidation of opponents, the intelligence official said. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bosnia is likely to return to war if no international force stays after December when NATO
peacekeepers plan to leave, the chief of U.S. military intelligence said Wednesday.
Berserkistan, July 20 · NATO Commander Says Bosnia is Too Dependent
Berserkistan, June 25 · NATO: World Must Prevent Another Bosnian War
Berserkistan, June 12 · Clinton: Stick to IFOR Timetable
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