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Perry: Next 6 Months in Bosnia will be Most Dangerous Yet
And, he defends the Pentagon’s No-Beer Policy
"In many ways, I believe the next few months are going to be the most difficult we've have had since we've gone into Bosnia," Perry said in a speech at the Naval Senior Enlisted Academy in Newport, R.I. His remarks were broadcast in the Pentagon.
"In some ways, they are reaching the most dangerous period," he said, referring to the U.S. and NATO troops who entered Bosnia six months ago under terms of the peace agreemen reached in Dayton, Ohio, last year. "The reason for that is that in the civil aspect of the Dayton agreement, they're calling for actions over the next few
months which are inevitably going to cause turbulence in the country.
"There is going to be resettling of refugees, the arresting of war criminals, the conducting of elections. All of those factors are going to challenge the IFOR to maintain the peace, because they are going to maintain the peace in the face of substantial turbulence," Perry said. The NATO force has been criticized for failing to arrest
Bosnian Serb leaders accused of being war criminals. Perry and other U.S. officials have said that is not part of the force's mission although they would arrest the men if they found them.
Perry said an indication that the mission was succeeding was that farmers in Bosnia were able to plant their crops this spring for the first time in four years. He said a key to the success of the operation so far was that NATO went in with massive force, discouraging any attacks against the troops. "Nobody felt like messing with that force. And they still don't," Perry said.
Perry said the troops must remain on guard and avoid complacency. He said part of every U.S. unit in Bosnia is always on guard duty with heavily armed soliders. The troops are not allowed into nearby towns to mingle with residents and they are not allowed to drink alcohol while in Bosnia. "They've been there for six months and they haven't had a beer. They're pretty damn unhappy about that," Perry said.
Perry, who visited U.S. units in Bosnia last week, said the accident rate for Americans in Bosnia was lower than in the previous six months when they were based in Germany. The 16,600 Americans are part of the NATO peacekeeping force sent to Bosnia under terms of last year's agreement reached at Dayton, Ohio.
Only three U.S. soldiers have died in Bosnia. One was killed by a mine, another died in a truck accident and the third collapsed and died after exercising. A fourth soldier died while treated in the United States for burns from a kitchen fire in Bosnia. The Americans are prohibited from going to nearby towns to fraternize with Bosnians. Perry said every unit had to have some soldiers on guard duty at all times. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The next six months in Bosnia may be the most dangerous and difficult for U.S. and other NATO peacekeepers, Defense Secretary William Perry said Wednesday.
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