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'There is Always the Prospect of War Here'
But Unlikely Bosnians Want to Resume Fighting
(WASHINGTON—Reuters) U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry Sunday reaffirmed that he expected American peacekeeping troops to leave Bosnia by the end of December. "We still plan to have our troops out of here by the end of the year," said Perry, who was interviewed via satellite from Bosnia by NBC's "Meet the Press." "You might expect to see some phasing down of the troops here in September or October," Perry added.

U.S. Troops on Watch in Bosnia

The defense chief was in Bosnia for a visit with the NATO-led peacekeeping troops and to push for better Muslim-Croat compliance with the four-month-old Dayton peace accords. Asked in the NBC interview about the risk of another outbreak of war once the peacekeeping troops leave, Perry conceded that it was a possibility. "There's no question that in next year or in the year after... there is always the prospect of war breaking out here," he said. Yet Perry said it was highly unlikely that the Bosnians would want to resume fighting.

He stressed the importance of a reconstruction effort, including the rebuilding of roads and bridges, as key to ensuring security in the region. Perry met earlier with Ejup Ganic, vice president of the Muslim-Croat federation and said he pressed for further progress on removing foreign forces from the region. The Sarajevo government has come under criticism from Washington for failing to make good on promises to ensure Islamic fighters aiding their army leave the country.

Perry said there had been a dramatic reduction in the foreign troop presence already. Nevertheless, he said he had made "the strongest possible point" to Ganic that all foreign operations must be shut down. For his part, Ganic, who spoke to reporters in Sarajevo, said he had pleaded for NATO troops to arrest Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic and political leader Radovan Karadzic. The two men, who have been indicted by a tribunal in connection with alleged massacres in Srebrenica, have refused to step down from office as called for in the Dayton accord.

In the NBC interview, Perry expressed confidence that Mladic and Karadzic would not be in power by the end of the year. Concerning whether U.S. troops planned to arrest the two men, Perry said they would if they came across them, but he added they would not be actively looking for them. "We are not on a manhunt," he said.



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