Subject: BosNet NEWS - Aug. 30, 95 ("It's Round One"; Planes Over Belgrade) From: Nermin Zukic Sender: bosnews@doc.ic.ac.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B o s N e t - Aug. 30, 1995 ======================================================================== - NATO official about the air attacks: ``It's round one...'' - Planes over Belgrade - US President Clinton: "I strongly support this operation. I think it is an appropriate response to the shelling of Sarajevo... It is consistent with the commitment that was made..." - UN's Ivanko:" ... [UNPROFOR] concluded beyond any reasonable doubt that the attack against the civilians of Sarajevo came from Bosnian Serb positions." - Alleged war criminal Karadzic "ready" to accept the peace plan -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATO planes bombed overnight and early on Wedesday arious nationalist Bosnian Serb targets. A large contingent of U.S. Air Force fighter planes was taking part in action - mostly from the Italian base Aviano, and aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt located in Adriatic Sea. The Roosevelt has more than 50 combat planes aboard, including 36 F/A-18's, 14 F-14's. Aviano based squadrons include F-15E Strike Eagle strike aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcon attack planes, OA-10 ground-attack planes, EF-111 radar jamming planes and AWACS airborne warning and control aircraft. According to television reports, an estimated 60 allied planes took part in action, including air navigation, radar jamming, fighter and bomber planes. The spokeswoman at NATO's southern command in Naples, Lieutenant Colonel Janis Witt, said the operation began shortly after 2 a.m. local time (midnight GMT, 8PM EDT). Planes are believed to have targeted first the air defense system which, run from and by Serbia. Pentagon plans initially called for three or four days of sustained bombing. Several U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said NATO was prepared to continue the air attacks. ``It's round one,'' one official said. A second, big wave of NATO warplanes struck nationalist Bosnian Serb positions on Wednesday morning. Loud detonations were heard from the direction their stronghold of Pale. "I hear repeated detonations from the direction of Pale and see some flashes in the skies... It was the heaviest concentration of detonations since the bombing started two hours ago" Reuters' Kurt Schork said. According to early television reports, areas hit also included nationalist Serb positions around Mostar, Gorazde and Tuzla. Rapid Reaction Force made up mostly of French and British troops and deployed on Mt. Igman fired an estimated 600 shells on Serbian gunners. Nationalists tried to retaliate, but apparently their mortar positions were hit shortly. The decision to initiate such a response was made on Tuesday during conversations between all parties, including NATO commander Adm. Leighton Smith and United Nations commander in Sarajevo Gen. Rupert Smith. "The operations were initiated after the United Nations concluded beyond reasonable doubt that Monday's brutal mortar attack on Sarajevo came from Bosnian Serb positions... We hope to convince the Bosnian Serbs of the futility of further actions. The objective is to reduce the threat to the Sarajevo safe area," NATO source said. The rumble of high-flying jets could also be heard high above Belgrade at 2.30 a.m. (0030 GMT), indicating the possible presence of NATO backup aircraft. In a move to prevent nationalist Bosnian Serbs hostage-taking, United Nations moved its remaining troops from Gorazde, and presently only two unarmed monitors remain in the U.N.-declared safe haven. Earlier Tuesday, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said, "Everything you're hearing from us indicates that a military response is appropriate" The coordinated UN-NATO effort comes as UN investigation proved "beyond all reasonable doubt" that Bosnian Serbs are responsible for Monday's brutal slaughter of Bosnian civilians. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- US President Clinton, vacationing in Wyoming confirmed the airstrikes, stating: "I strongly support this operation. I think it is an appropriate response to the shelling of Sarajevo... It is consistent with the commitment that was made by the United Nations, by NATO, and by the United States...Furthermore, I do not expect it to interrupt the peace mission... The United States' peace activities will continue, and I hope that they will be successful." He declined to comment on details of the operation, and said that no US ground troops were involved. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, head of the US delegation is scheduled to visit Belgrade and meet with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic today. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.N. spokesman Alexander Ivanko strongly denounced Monday attack on civilians: "A single mortar shattered the lives of more than a hundred citizens of Sarajevo... As a result of an unprovoked and barbaric attack against a city, over 30 people were killed and over 80 wounded. ... The area that was targeted didn't have any military installations, but was simply an area of markets, shops and cafes, where people were busy enjoying the treacherous calm. ... After reviewing results of the investigation conducted by U.N. military experts, the commander of UNPROFOR, Lt. Gen. [Rupert] Smith, concluded beyond any reasonable doubt that the attack against the civilians of Sarajevo came from Bosnian Serb positions." Showing disregard for international outtrage at Monday's attack, nationalist Bosnian Serbs fired a shell which killed a four-year girl and wounded two of her friends on Tuesday. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter who recently played highly controversial role in Bosnian conflict received a "statement" from nationalist Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. According to Carter, Karadzic - also indicted on war criminal charges, advocates the resumption of peace talks and "sets forth a basis for his willingness to accept the U.S. peace initiative" as soon as an agreement is reached. "This is an important statement which I have already shared with the U.S. government... As the recent tragic attack on Sarajevo has demonstrated, peace will not come easily, but there is good reason to take Karadzic's statement and put it to the test, and to seek comparable efforts from all the other parties involved, to move rapidly to talks," Carter said. In addition, Karadzic allegedly acknowledges that any future Bosnian entity would enjoy "the full range of human rights and fundamental freedoms" including the right for refugees to return to their homeland. While the alleged war criminal Karadzic has some serious credibility problems, statements of this nature also question the necessity of nationalist Serb aggression, and ethnic cleansing, which has been taking place in B&H for over three years. Carter asked that Karadzic's statement be put to the test. "He has been completely stubborn since last December in his unwillingness to 'accept' the peace proposal as a basis for negotiation, and now he has agreed to accept it." ________________________________________________________________________ Opinions expressed/published on BosNews/BosNet-B do NOT necessarily always reflect the views of (all of the members of) Editorial Board, and/or moderators, nor any of their host institutions. Zeljko Bodulovic Dzevat Omeragic Davor Wagner Nermin Zukic