MOSTAR MOSTAR, Sept 2 (Hina) - US Ambassador at the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, said in Mostar on Thursday there were "forces of darkness" in Bosnia-Herzegovina which were fighting the Dayton peace agreement. Holbrooke visited
the southern Bosnian town following his visit to the capital of the Bosnian Serb entity, Banja Luka. The "forces of darkness" are Republika Srpska's Serb Democratic Party and the Serb Radical Party, he said. He refused to say who was responsible for the slow implementation of the Dayton peace agreement in the other BH entity - the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying he was not a judge and would need several months to gather evidence on that question. The US diplomat commended the Mostar leaders for the improved situation in the town, however, he added Mostar was still the most war-ravaged town in Europe and an example of the Balkan tragedy. He called for the return of Bosniaks to the western (
MOSTAR, Sept 2 (Hina) - US Ambassador at the United Nations, Richard
Holbrooke, said in Mostar on Thursday there were "forces of
darkness" in Bosnia-Herzegovina which were fighting the Dayton
peace agreement.
Holbrooke visited the southern Bosnian town following his visit to
the capital of the Bosnian Serb entity, Banja Luka. The "forces of
darkness" are Republika Srpska's Serb Democratic Party and the Serb
Radical Party, he said.
He refused to say who was responsible for the slow implementation of
the Dayton peace agreement in the other BH entity - the Federation
of Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying he was not a judge and would need
several months to gather evidence on that question.
The US diplomat commended the Mostar leaders for the improved
situation in the town, however, he added Mostar was still the most
war-ravaged town in Europe and an example of the Balkan tragedy.
He called for the return of Bosniaks to the western (Croat-
dominated) part of Mostar and the return of Croats to the eastern
(Muslim-dominated) part of the town, as well as for the
implementation of the Rome agreement of 1996 which, among other
things, envisages the establishment of a central city zone.
He refused to comment on a recent statement by a co-chairman of the
BH Council of Ministers, Haris Silajdzic, who said Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman was responsible for the Croat-Muslim
conflict. Holbrooke said he had cooperated closely both with
Tudjman and Silajdzic and respected their contribution, and
despite the differences the implementation of the Dayton agreement
was a joint task.
(hina) jn rml