SARAJEVO, Oct 11 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina must reduce its current military spending and adjust it to its economic potential as well as to the situation in neighbouring countries, OSCE Mission head Robert Beecroft told reporters in
Sarajevo on Thursday. Promoting the start of a campaign aimed at stimulating the reduction of funds for military purposes in the country, Beecroft said the country was at the moment among those with the highest military spending. Six percent of the Gross Domestic Product in Bosnia is set aside for military purposes, which is neither rational nor realistic, the US diplomat said. He recalled that the situation in the neighbourhood was different, with military spending in Croatia amounting to 3.5% and in Yugoslavia to 3.14% of the countries' GDP. Beecroft said the country's ravaged economy could not finance the armies of the two entities, a particular problem being the armies not being
SARAJEVO, Oct 11 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina must reduce its
current military spending and adjust it to its economic potential
as well as to the situation in neighbouring countries, OSCE Mission
head Robert Beecroft told reporters in Sarajevo on Thursday.
Promoting the start of a campaign aimed at stimulating the
reduction of funds for military purposes in the country, Beecroft
said the country was at the moment among those with the highest
military spending.
Six percent of the Gross Domestic Product in Bosnia is set aside for
military purposes, which is neither rational nor realistic, the US
diplomat said. He recalled that the situation in the neighbourhood
was different, with military spending in Croatia amounting to 3.5%
and in Yugoslavia to 3.14% of the countries' GDP.
Beecroft said the country's ravaged economy could not finance the
armies of the two entities, a particular problem being the armies
not being used adequately. Efficiency and the army concept which
currently exist in the country are very questionable. Soldiers are
poorly paid, their equipment is in a poor state and they do not have
the proper training, the head of the OSCE Mission said.
The Bosnian authorities are expected to seriously consider these
elements during upcoming debates about the state and entity budgets
for the year 2002. Dutch general Ton Strik, assistant to the chief
commander of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR), said if the Bosnian
authorities consistently implemented the already adopted joint
defence policy, the total number of soldiers would have to be
reduced by 45%. We expect that goal to be accomplished by 2005,
Strik said.
The Bosnian authorities will be let decide on their own whether such
a radical cut would be made immediately or the military spending
gradually reduced. Both Beecroft and Strik said the authorities
were wrong to treat military forces as a means of solving
unemployment in the country. The army is not a welfare institution
and to keep this number of soldiers is the most expensive social
programme, Beecroft said.
(hina) rml