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Turkeys President Demirel Bolsters Ties in Sarajevo
By Jovan Kovacic
"We hope that Turkey will play a very important role in keeping peace and giving support to the people of Bosnia." Turkey was one of the first countries to recognise Bosnia as an independent state after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, and was a staunch supporter throughout the 43-month war.
Demirel's visit was his first to Sarajevo after three abortive attempts to reach the then besieged city. He told reporters reconciliation among the former foes might not be easy, but was absolutely necessary for lasting peace and
stability.
"The Bosnian-Croat federation must continue to be strengthened and must not be allowed to be derailed," he said. "Turkey strongly supports the federation."
Although U.S. diplomacy forced Muslims and Croats into a federation after they fought a bitter 10-month war, they still distrust each other. Lingering animosity exists in the deeply divided town of
Mostar which nationalist Croats still want as an ethnically pure capital for their self-styled Herzeg Bosna republic. Under the Dayton accord, Herzeg Bosna no longer exists. The reluctant allies have also failed to establish joint governing bodies to get the federation of the ground.
Their latest bickering in parliament has delayed a vital defence law that would integrate their two armies. The delay has held up a U.S. "train and equip" programme to give the federation military parity with Bosnian Serbs.
Turkey is taking part in the programme. "We must create conditions in which Croat and Bosnian military forces will be stronger," Demirel said. "If the Bosnian military force is not strong enough there is a possibility that IFOR (the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force) will extend its mandate in Bosnia,"" he said. "We believe that the mandate for IFOR must not terminate at the end of the year, but continue until lasting peace and stability is guaranteed," he said.
The United States wants the federation army trained and equipped to a satisfactory standard before the December deadline for the departure of 60,000 NATO peace-keepers.
U.S. President Bill Clinton promised a hostile Congress he would pull out the 20,000-strong U.S. IFOR contingent by the end of the year, but lately there have been signals from NATO and Western diplomats that the troops might stay on.
Bosnia's Izetbegovic said Demirel was due to travel to Mostar on Tuesday and to Croatia on Wednesday to meet Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. On the agenda, he said, was "Mostar elections and generally Croatia's role in all this."
Izetbegovic said Demirel had also converted a $20 million
Bank of Turkey credit into a humanitarian aid donation to
Bosnia. |
SARAJEVO, June 17 (Reuters) - Turkish President Suleiman Demirel arrived in Sarajevo on Monday to bolster ties between the two allied countries and shore up the fragile Muslim-Croat federation. "Turkey will always stand by Bosnia," he said at a joint news conference with Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic in the Bosnian capital.
Berserkistan, May 15 · Bosnian Soldiers to Turkey On NATO Training Program
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