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Says People of Republika Srpska Will Be Losers
BRUSSELS, April 13 (Reuters) — The United States took the gloves off on Saturday in its bid to oust hardline Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and army commander Ratko Mladic, appealing to the Serb people to dump them in exchange for aid.

"We all agree that it is imperative that they not remain in power," Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers told reporters at the end of a 55-nation aid conference on Bosnia. "The big losers at this conference are the Bosnian Serb people,'' he said. "People will see that the course their leaders are following will have very adverse consequences."

Hardliners led by Karadzic forced Bosnian Serb moderates to declare a boycott of the aid meeting that raised $1.23 billion for Bosnia.

The United States, which on Saturday pledged a total of $219 million in new money this year for Bosnia, has made it clear that none of it should go to the Republika Srpska unless it complies with the Dayton peace deal and hands indicted war criminals such as Karadzic and Mladic to the International War Crimes tribunal.

"We have said all along that this assistance is dependant on compliance with the Dayton agreement," Summers said. "Compliance with Dayton... would greatly enhance the aid flowing to Republika Srpska."

Carl Bildt, the man charged with implementing the civilian side of the peace deal, earlier told the meeting that Karadzic and Mladic could not be allowed to remain in power, and warned of unspecified measures if they were allowed to remain. Summers ducked the question when asked what he thought these extra measures might be.


Western Dilemma—How to Oust Karadzic


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