|
Who will catch Bosnia war criminals?
Pentagon declines to participate
December 19, 1996
Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 GMT)From Military Correspondent Jamie McIntyre
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said Thursday he supports giving U.S. troops in Bosnia a potentially dangerous new mission: providing security for a proposed international police force that would hunt down indicted war criminals and bring them to trial.
NATO has steadfastly refused to send its peacekeepers on a manhunt for war criminals in Bosnia. That position has not changed. However, at a NATO meeting this week in Brussels, defense ministers voiced support for the idea of an international police force to arrest war crimes' suspects.
Local authorities had agreed under the Dayton peace accord to arrest alleged war criminals, then turn them over to authorities. But so far, only seven of 80 people indicted on war crimes have been prosecuted by the International War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague.
Some of the suspects who are still free -- like former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his former military commander, Ratko Mladic -- are surrounded by loyal, well-armed bodyguards. An international police force might have a difficult time arresting them, and U.S. troops could be drawn into the line of fire, Perry told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday.
"If a police force goes in and... begins arresting indicted war criminals, this could create security turbulence in the area, and could lead to conflict," Perry said.
Both the United States and NATO in general have been reluctant to be drawn into the issue of apprehending war crimes suspects. NATO troops have conspicuously avoided confrontation with war criminals -- despite orders to detain any suspects they encounter -- for fear casualties could undermine the peace mission.
And U.S. commanders have little appetite for manhunts, ever since 18 Army Rangers died in Somalia in 1993 in a failed attempt to nab warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
With the number of NATO troops being cut to about 30,000, Pentagon officials insist that making arrests is not a military task, and that any police force will not include U.S. troops.
So, the idea of a special police force remains, for now -- just an idea. Nobody knows what countries would contribute troops for it, or who would command it. Still, the Pentagon says it strongly supports the plan, so long as someone else organizes it and carries it out.
Related stories:
- Bosnia told to uphold peace deal, or lose aid - December 6, 1996
- Deal reached on Bosnia's governmental structure - December 1, 1996
- Bosnian war crimes participant sentenced - November 29, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.