'Will Not Allow Ron Brown's Vision to Die...'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States is pressing ahead with efforts to aid in the reconstruction of war-torn Bosnia in the wake of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's death on just such a mission there, officials said Wednesday. "We will not allow Ron Brown's vision to die with Ron Brown," Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers told reporters. "It will be carried on with all the energy that those who continue in government will be able to manage."Summers will be leading the U.S. delegation to an international aid conference on Bosnia that starts Friday in Brussels. More than 50 countries will be represented at the two-day conference, which is seeking to raise some $1.2 billion in extra aid for Bosnia this year.
U.S. Efforts Criticized
Administration officials said the United States is ready to pledge $198 million for Bosnia at the conference. That is in addition to $62.5 million it pledged in December. "The United States comes ready and able to do its part," Summers said. Some European countries, most notably France, have criticized the United States for not doing more to help rebuild Bosnia after 43 months of civil war. But U.S. officials defended their effort, saying that Washington was contributing substantial amounts to peace-keeping and other programs in Bosnia, over and above the reconstruction effort. "We're going into the meeting in a strong position," said one official who declined to be named.Under the law passed by Congress, the administration cannot disperse half of the $198 million in aid until it is assured that foreign forces have substantially left Bosnia. That requirement is aimed at driving the mujahideen Islamic guerrilla forces from the country. U.S. officials said the Clinton administration was making substantial progress in convincing the Bosnia leadership of the importance of that, but still had a way to go.
Bosnian Serbs WIll Not Attend Conference
The officials also said it was unfortunate that the Bosnian Serbs have refused to attend the conference as part of an overall Bosnian delegation. "It's a blow to them," said one official. "If they don't participate, if they don't make it possible to do (economic) studies... it's going to be very difficult to help them."
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The World Bank
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