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Perry: NATO Faces Long, Hot Summer Keeping the Peace
By David Fox
A NATO official quoted Perry, at a meeting of the 16-member bloc's defence ministers, as saying the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia had reached its "Most delicate and decisive stage."
"We face a long, tough summer," the official quoted Perry as saying. "But there is no questioning the committment of all participants to the success of our operation." The official said defence ministers did not discuss in any way the fate of IFOR after elections, save to agree they would have to confront the issue in the future.
Perry said on Wednesday he would recommend sending U.S. troops back to Bosnia next year if NATO decided to deploy any new ground force to prevent a renewal of ethnic warfare there. "If they make that decision, it would be my recommendation that the United States participate in any force that is so designated -- including ground troops, including whatever is determined," Perry said.
The NATO official said the first discussion of the matter would be held at an informal meeting in Norway on September 25. The official also said that IFOR troops would be given a new mandate to track down and arrest suspected war criminals.
The inability of IFOR to act against hardline Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and others indicted has been criticised by Antonio Cassese, head of the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague, who has called for elections to be postponed until leading suspects had been captured.
The NATO official said, however, that the priority for IFOR was to eliminate them politically. "There is no question of a compromise on any war criminals," he said. "One day they will be in the Hague, but the immediate aim is to eliminate them politically -- especially in the run-up to elections." The official said the main aim of was to stop them campaigning."If they can't move they can't campaign," he said.
"IFOR has been given tougher rules of engagement on apprehending indicted criminals," he said. These included stepping up patrols and increasing the number of checkpoints in order to pin down suspects to specific locations. "They must be arrested unless there are overwhelming security safeguards,'' the officials said.
Karadzic, his army commander Ratko Mladic and two Bosnian Croats, Dario Kordic and Ivica Rajic are highest on the list.
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BRUSSELS, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary William Perry said on Thursday peacekeeping forces in Bosnia faced a "long, tough summer," according to a NATO official. But he said the international community could not re-examine its role there until after elections scheduled for September.
Berserkistan, June 12 · NATO to Weigh Bosnia Progress on Thursday
Berserkistan, June 12 · Perry Favors US in Bosnia in '97
Berserkistan, June 11 · NATO’s Michael Walker Sees Extended Bosnia Mission
Berserkistan, June 11 · Britain’s Defence Committee Calls for Peacekeepers after IFOR
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