THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - Lord David Owen, the EU's peace negotiator for the former Yugoslavia in 1992-5, on Tuesday wrapped up his testimony before the Hague war crimes tribunal about the war and peace efforts in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in those years.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - Lord David Owen, the EU's peace
negotiator for the former Yugoslavia in 1992-5, on Tuesday wrapped
up his testimony before the Hague war crimes tribunal about the war
and peace efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in those years.
#L#
Testifying as a witness for the trial chamber presiding the trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Owen answered
questions from the defendant and amicus curiae Steven Kay. His
testimony was based on a written statement and his book "Balkan
Odyssey".
Speaking about peace efforts in Croatia, where he had taken part in
the establishment of United Nations Protection Areas and
negotiations on an economic agreement with rebel Serbs in 1993/4,
Owen said one of the biggest failures had been that Croatian Serbs
had not been given guarantees to stay in Croatia.
Radicalism and excessive demands on the part of the rebel Serb
leaders resulted in Croatian Serbs leaving the Krajina region,
which was one of the biggest ethnic cleansing waves in the Balkans,
the witness said.
Among the rebel Serb leaders, he singled out Milan Martic, calling
him a fool, and Borislav Mikelic, who he said had been more sensible
but without much influence.
Owen said the then Croatian President, Franjo Tudjman, had assessed
the political situation well, realising that he would be able to get
away with ordering Operation Flash in May 1995 after the Serbs had
blocked a highway as an act of provocation.
Owen said Tudjman at that time had also reached an agreement with
Bosnian Serbs, whom he had been supplying with oil.
Describing the six failed peace agreements in Bosnia from 1992 to
1995, Lord Owen admitted that the engagement of Croatian troops in
neighbouring Bosnia, with the approval of Sarajevo, the U.S. and
the West, had changed the balance of power and enabled the success
of the Dayton peace talks at the end of 1995.
The defeat Serbs in western Bosnia suffered at the hands of the
Croatian Army brought them to Dayton, said Owen.
"But it must have been due to our peace efforts," said Milosevic,
adding that the whole Balkans would have been on fire had the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) sent its troops to Bosnia
too.
Owen confirmed Milosevic's claim that Serbia and he had made the
biggest contribution to the signing of the Dayton accords, saying
that they had been adopted because Milosevic had prevented Bosnian
Serbs from voting. He added, however, that Milosevic had spent two-
and-a-half years obstructing peace.
Citing transcripts previously entered as evidence, the prosecution
refuted Owen's assessments about the defendant's pacifist efforts.
Milosevic tried to correct that by quoting many international
officials as saying that the biggest blow to the peace process had
been the recognition of Slovenia's and Croatia's, and notably
Bosnia's independence, which Owen mainly confirmed.
As for claims that the ex-Yugoslavia had been in the grip of civil
war, the witness said that had been the case before the new states
were internationally recognised, but that after that it was a case
of aggression.
Owen did not agree that FRY had not had its troops in Bosnia, noting
that they had been used on the Bosnian Serb side more cunningly and
more subtly than by Croatia, which he said had whole units in
Bosnia.
After Owen ended his two-day testimony, protected witness B-1531
took the witness stand.
(hina) ha