Poses Dilemma over Freedom of Movement
On the Day After Two Muslims Die
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Serbs blocked hundreds of Muslim refugees from visiting homes and cemeteries Tuesday, a day after two Muslims died in similar confrontations. NATO and the Bosnian government squabbled over who to blame for the escalating dilemma. Freedom of movement is a fundamental guarantee of the Dayton peace agreement that brought nearly 60,000 NATO-led soldiers to Bosnia. The solution to the refugee problem also will help determine whether the lines drawn between military foes fade or harden into de facto borders.At Celic in northeastern Bosnia, about 300 unarmed Muslims faced off against about 100 Serbs, many armed with sticks. Three U.S. helicopters kept watch, but Russian peace troops and a few U.S. officers on the ground pulled back to let local police and officials sort out the dispute. Serbs and Muslims, about 50 yards apart, yelled obscenities and taunted each other. “We have nothing in our hands, but we will tear you apart,” one Muslim man yelled.
Officials and Bosnian police pushed the crowd of Muslims back, and the people dispersed. But international efforts to get local officials talking failed; Serb police simply walked away.
Farther south, another 200 Muslims were turned back by about 100 Serbs who built barricades on the road between Gorazde and Kopaci.
All Quiet Tuesday at Sjenina
All was quiet Tuesday at Sjenina, near Doboj in north-central Bosnia, site of a clash Monday that killed two people. Swedish soldiers reinforced a checkpoint there with soldiers and armored vehicles. Hundreds of Muslims had gathered Monday hoping to be able to cross into Serb-held territory to visit their homes and cemeteries for the first time in four years. Some risked a minefield, trying to skirt the Serb crowd. Although reports still were unclear, two people were reported killed, one from gunshot wounds and one from a mine blast. Officials of the NATO-led peace force could not confirm a third reported death. SRNA, the Bosnian Serb news agency, said a Serb died Monday near Doboj. Bosnian TV retracted its report from Monday about the death of a woman in a second confrontation near Sarajevo. It said the woman was actually alive and healthy.
A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Mans Nyberg, reported that Muslims burned down at least three homes of Serbs in the eastern Bosnian town of Petrovac when a group of about 200 Serb refugees tried to visit their pre-war homes. Bosnian leaders and NATO officials squabbled over who was responsible for freedom of movement and what the consequences would be if things went wrong.
British Lt. Gen. Sir Michael Walker, the commander of NATO ground troops in Bosnia, said he hoped Monday’s troubles “will shock the local and national officials who have the duty to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement for all citizens into responsible action.” He said Monday’s troubles proved the peace force was correct to try to discourage unorganized groups of people from returning to their homes.
International officials have suggested the government was sending the groups of refugees as a pressure tactic. Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic denied that and said the NATO-led force is “obliged to secure freedom of movement.”
His predecessor as prime minister, Haris Silajdzic, warned that the lines separating Serbs on the one side and the Muslim-Croat federation on the other side are hardening into borders instead of fading away into a unified Bosnia. Silajdzic is a leading candidate for president in elections that are scheduled — probably for September — under the peace deal. ‘If we continue to strengthen boundary lines between entities, innocent civilians will be dying again,” he said. “And it may be that we enter another war situation.”
Apr 30 · Two Muslim Refugees Dead, 10 Injured
Apr 29 · 600 Muslim Refugees Try to Return Home
Apr 20 · Violence Expected as Refugees Return Home
Apr 20 · In 9 of 10 Cases, Authorities Blocking Refugee Return
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