Greek Ministers Meet with Serbian President to Secure Release of U.N. Peacekeepers

Greek Foreign and Defense Ministers Karolos Papoulias and Gerasimos Arsenis met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic on Tuesday as part of a mission to secure the release of U.N. peacekeepers held hostage by Bosnian Serbs. The meeting came a day after the Greek ministers held talks with Bosnian Serb authorities in Pale. Following the Greek ministers' meeting with Milosevic, the Bosnian Serbs released 108 U.N. soldiers at a Bosnian-Serbian border town, bringing the total number of released peacekeepers to 231.

Key Takeaways:

• The Greek ministers' meeting with Milosevic was part of a mission aimed at securing the release of all U.N. peacekeepers held hostage by Bosnian Serbs.
• The Bosnian Serbs began snatching U.N. peacekeepers in late May as a safeguard against NATO airstrikes, with nearly 400 peacekeepers being held at various locations around Bosnia-Herzegovina at one point.
• Greece is the only Balkan state that is a member of the EU, and Papoulias praised Milosevic, saying the Serbian president would play an important role in finding a peaceful solution to the current crisis.
• The Greek government has ruled out any participation in military operations in the former Yugoslavia, fearing that military involvement by another Balkan state could spark an all-out war encompassing the entire region.
• The European Union has agreed that there is no military solution to the Bosnian conflict, a topic that was discussed during the Greek ministers' stay in Pale.
• Milosevic has been trying to get the United Nations to lift sanctions imposed on Serbia and its tiny partner Montenegro for their support of the Bosnian Serbs.

Statistics:

• 231 U.N. peacekeepers have been released by the Bosnian Serbs, including 121 released on Friday and 108 released on Tuesday.
• Nearly 400 U.N. soldiers were being held by Serbs at various locations around Bosnia-Herzegovina at one point.
• Greece has strong traditional ties with its fellow Christian Orthodox Serbs.
• The European Union has imposed sanctions on Serbia and its tiny partner Montenegro.

Sources:

• AP News
• Tanjug - Yugoslav News Agency
• Bosnian Serb Television