View Header

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release May 29, 1996

Fact Sheet on Bosnia

IFOR, the NATO-led Implementation Force, has achieved early success, thereby solidifying the peace.

IFOR has maintained the cease-fire and compelled the Parties to withdraw all forces behind a 4 km Zone of Separation without significant incident.

     Substantial compliance has been achieved in withdrawing all 
     heavy weapons and forces to cantonments or other designated 
     areas.

IFOR's presence is the foundation for the creation of a secure environment necessary for the implementation of the civilian aspects of Dayton.

The Parties successfully negotiated and implemented the first series of Confidence Building Measures designed to reduce military activity, restrict location of weapons and troops, and exchange data on weapons holdings. Negotiations on limits on armament levels and manpower are nearing completion.

     IFOR is committed to establishing freedom of movement in 
     Bosnia and is aggressively working toward the elimination of 
     all internal checkpoints.
     
     Virtually all prisoners of war have been released or are now 
     formally held as war crimes suspects; the International 
     Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has reviewed or 
     is reviewing these latter cases.
     
     Substantial improvement has been made in freedom of 
     movement:  IFOR reports that 10,000-15,000 people cross the 
     inter-entity boundary every day.

All of the civilian reconciliation institutions mandated by Dayton have been created.

The Office of the High Representative, led by Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, has taken the lead in coordinating the myriad agencies, institutions and activities which are critical to the return of peace and stability of Bosnia.

     The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
     (OSCE) designated a multi-ethnic Provisional Election 
     Commission (PEC), which consists of the Human Rights 
     Ombudsperson, Gret Haller of Switzerland, who is tasked with 
     investigating allegations of human rights violations, and 
     the Human Rights Chamber which will hear cases and issue 
     decisions which are binding on the parties.
     
     The ICRC formed a commission to investigate the fate of all 
     missing persons in Bosnia, especially those from Srebrenica 
     and Zepa.
     
     The International Organization of Migration has formed the 
     Commission of Displaced Persons and Refugees, which will 
     guarantee the right of individuals to return to their homes 
     or receive fair compensation.
     
     The Joint Civilian Commission gives all parties, military 
     and civilian, a venue to review and coordinate efforts to 
     rebuild Bosnian society.

The Bosnian Federation is growing stronger.

The Federation Government now has 15 ministries functioning, including a constitutional Court.

     The Agreement between the Federation partners, negotiated 
     under the auspices of the Office of the High Representative 
     and the United States, has dissolved all internal customs 
     collection points and ensured that all revenues collected 
     will flow to the Federation Government. 
      
     Mostar, now organized into 6 districts with a joint central 
     area, is moving toward reintegration. 
      
     Federation officials agreed in Washington on a Defense Law 
     which establishes a single Ministry of Defense and calls for 
     the integration of all Federation military forces within 
     three years.
       
     A series of agencies will be created to strengthen the 
     Federation's financial system and promote investment.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is making sure that there will be peace with justice.

ICTY Chief Prosecutor Judge Goldstone and IFOR Commander Admiral Smith reached agreement in January on the types of assistance IFOR will provide to the ICTY. These include protection of war crimes investigators, monitoring of mass grave sites, assistance with transport of suspected war criminals to the Hague and a commitment to detail those who are indicted by the Tribunal should the opportunity arise.

     The ICTY has five war crimes suspects in custody.  The 
     Tribunal also is holding one witness.
     
                                   The parties accepted 
                                   U.S.-proposed "rules of the 
                                   road" that set out procedures 
                                   for detaining suspected war 
                                   criminals while still 
                                   safeguarding the principle of 
                                   freedom of movement.

Humanitarian Assistance has already improved living conditions in Bosnia and the International community is poised to begin substantial reconstruction efforts thanks to the recent Donors' Conference.

The $86 million in ?Quick Impact? funding announced by the President at the signing of the Agreement has been spent, resulting in restoration of heat and electricity, provision of winter clothing, and other improvements in quality of life for thousands of Bosnians.

     The recent Donors' Conference in Brussels raised a total of 
     $1.2 billion for Bosnian economic recovery.  The United 
     States pledged approximately $200 million in reconstruction 
     aid for the current fiscal year, in addition to over $350 
     million in humanitarian aid, funding for policy training, 
     support for the elections, demining and other projects.
     
     Projects currently underway include emergency shelter 
     repair, rehabilitation of utilities, educational and 
     community facilities, journalist training and voter 
     education projects.

Efforts to provide for the personal security of the Bosnian people are well underway.

As of mid-May the UN has deployed over 1300 International Police Task Force monitors to the region, 90 of whom are American, representing about half of the full U.S. contingent.

     A Mine Action Center has been established to collect 
     information on the location of mines and coordinate efforts 
     to train Bosnians in demining.

                              # # #