SARAJEVO, 29 Nov (Hina) - The Army of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina on Friday started the destruction of heavy weaponry which is prohibited by a regional arms control agreement for the area of former Yugoslavia. The process of
reduction of arms would only include the reduction of artillery, said Ramiz Drekovic, head of the Army's Department for Political Issues.
SARAJEVO, 29 Nov (Hina) - The Army of the Federation of Bosnia-
Herzegovina on Friday started the destruction of heavy weaponry
which is prohibited by a regional arms control agreement for the
area of former Yugoslavia. The process of reduction of arms would
only include the reduction of artillery, said Ramiz Drekovic, head
of the Army's Department for Political Issues. #L#
According to the agreement on subregional arms control, the
Federation army is allowed to have 273 tanks, 263 armoured
vehicles, 1,000 cannons, 62 planes and 21 assault helicopters. The
Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO)
have 2,940 artillery pieces and only this category of weapons
should be reduced to a more considerable extent, he said.
The newly-established Federation Army currently has 130 tanks,
85 APCs, 27 planes and four assault helicopters, General Drekovic
said.
He also warned that the Bosnian Serb army has more weapons
that it had registered and expressed hope that the international
community would take necessary measures in order to reduce the
number of weapons in Republika Srpska to the number envisaged by
the Vienna agreement.
Bosnian Serb authorities at Pale said they had 531 tanks (137
are allowed), 257 APCs (151 allowed), 1,355 cannons (500 allowed).
Regulations of the Vienna agreement are followed only in the
number of planes (18, 21 allowed) and assault helicopters (7).
The process of arms reduction will last 16 months and will be
divided in phases.
(hina) rm
291712 MET nov 96