SARAJEVO, Feb 18 (Hina) - The chief commander of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Montgomery Meigs, asked the defence ministers of the Bosnian two entities - the Croat-Moslem Federation and the
Bosnian Serb republic - to assess the current position of their generals, who hold commanding posts, in order to check whether their characteristics meet previously prescribed rules for the professional army service. A spokesman for the SFOR, Glenn Chamberlain, said in Sarajevo on Thursday that the obligation included the task to fill in a detailed questionnaire on the education of army officers and on their income scale. After completing this procedure, the two entities should forward to the SFOR lists of generals who have met the criteria, he said. According to rules issued by the SFOR chief commander, all generals of the entities' armies in Bosnia have to receive special conse
SARAJEVO, Feb 18 (Hina) - The chief commander of the NATO-led
Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General
Montgomery Meigs, asked the defence ministers of the Bosnian two
entities - the Croat-Moslem Federation and the Bosnian Serb
republic - to assess the current position of their generals, who
hold commanding posts, in order to check whether their
characteristics meet previously prescribed rules for the
professional army service.
A spokesman for the SFOR, Glenn Chamberlain, said in Sarajevo on
Thursday that the obligation included the task to fill in a detailed
questionnaire on the education of army officers and on their income
scale.
After completing this procedure, the two entities should forward to
the SFOR lists of generals who have met the criteria, he said.
According to rules issued by the SFOR chief commander, all generals
of the entities' armies in Bosnia have to receive special consent
for the appointment to the commanding posts, and the condition for
this is the fulfilment of particular criteria which guarantee the
professional relation toward the military service.
Chamberlain said the rules refer to all generals and therefore to a
general appointed to be an acting commander like Dragan Curcic.
Last week, the Federation's joint command's commander, General
Rasim Delic said he had no deputy, since General Zivko Budimir, who
was previously his deputy, was on the sick leave, and General Zeljko
Siljeg, who should have replaced Budimir, had not got the consent
for the appointment.
The Bosnian Croat side in the federal Defence Ministry, replied
that Gen. Delic had given disinformation, since there was valid
decision on Curcic's appointment to the deputy commander of the
federal army.
We heard about those intentions, but from the viewpoint of SFOR, no
decision has been made on this appointment, Chamberlain said
commenting on the position of Curcic.
Before a discussion on appointments, generals who are candidates
for the commanding posts, have to complete a special statement
confirming thereby their adherence to the Dayton accords and all
subsequent decisions taken by the Peace Implementation Council
(PIC).
All ministers of defence should check these statements and confirm
them by their signatures.
(hina) mm ms