Crisis in Bosnia: UN Commander's Recommendation Sparks Infighting within Nato

Strategic Insights -

The situation in former Yugoslavia is escalating with the UN's senior commander in Bosnia, General Bernard Janvier, recommending a cessation of airstrikes after receiving a letter from Bosnian Serb army leader General Ratko Mladic agreeing to pull back heavy weapons. However, this decision was met with shock and rejection from Nato headquarters in Brussels and the UN headquarters in New York, leading to a dramatic U-turn.

Key Takeaways:

  • General Janvier, the UN commander in the former Yugoslavia, initially recommended a cessation of airstrikes based on a letter from General Mladic agreeing to pull back heavy weapons.
  • The recommendation was met with shock and rejection from Nato headquarters in Brussels and the UN headquarters in New York.
  • General Mladic's letter was deemed unacceptable by both Nato and UN headquarters, leading to a demand for a clear "yes or no" response from the Serb army commander.
  • The North Atlantic Council met at 5pm on Saturday and later Nato Secretary-General Willy Claes announced to General Mladic that his response was totally unacceptable and that bombing could begin unless he complied.
  • The infighting within Nato led to a change of heart by Admiral Smith, the American Nato commander in Naples, who initially supported the recommendation to cease airstrikes but later disagreed with it.
  • General Janvier and Admiral Smith eventually came back on line and agreed that the Mladic letter was unacceptable, leading to a retraction of the recommendation to cease airstrikes.

Statistics:

  • 14 hours: the duration of exhaustive talks between General Janvier and General Mladic in the Serbian border village of Mali Zvornik.
  • 4am: the time when General Janvier eventually returned to Zagreb with a written response from General Mladic.
  • 5pm: the time when the North Atlantic Council met to discuss the situation in Bosnia.
  • 1 day: the delay given to General Mladic to comply with the UN and Nato's demands before bombing resumes.

Sources:

  • The Times, 1995.