UN Peacekeeping Troops in Bosnia Face Withdrawal Threats

Strategic Insights -

Foreign ministers from major powers will meet in Geneva today to relaunch the faltering Yugoslavia peace process, as the prospect of UN peacekeeping troops pulling out of Bosnia rears its head again. French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur warned that Paris would have to consider withdrawing its UN contingent from former Yugoslavia unless all major powers committed themselves to a peace settlement in Bosnia. Meanwhile, tensions rose sharply in northern Bosnia after shells blasted the Serb-held town of Brcko and the Muslim enclave of Tuzla, killing four and wounding 18.

Key Takeaways:

  • French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur warned that Paris would have to consider withdrawing its UN contingent from former Yugoslavia unless all major powers committed themselves to a peace settlement in Bosnia.
  • The UN fears Brcko, straddling a vital Serb supply line, will become the focus of the next big battle in the civil war as rivals build their forces in the area.
  • General Novica Simic, Serb army commander of the district, said "If there is another attack, and we expect there will be one, the Serb side will respond by all available means."
  • The meeting in Geneva will group ministers from the US, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, and Belgium to negotiate a solution to the two-year-old Balkan war.
  • French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe warned that all UN troops could be withdrawn from Bosnia if a political settlement was not reached within weeks.
  • Britain and France are key contributors to the UN force, with about 2,500 and 6,000 soldiers in former Yugoslavia, respectively.

Statistics:

  • 4 people were killed and 18 wounded in the shelling of Brcko and Tuzla.
  • 6,000 French soldiers and 2,500 British soldiers are contributing to the UN force in Former Yugoslavia.
  • The United Nations fears Brcko, a vital Serb supply line, will become the focus of the next big battle in the civil war.
  • 18 people were wounded in the shelling, including 8 badly hurt and 6 slightly injured.
  • The Geneva meeting will involve ministers from the US, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, and Belgium.

Sources:

  • Reuters News Agency
  • French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur
  • General Novica Simic
  • French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe
  • British officials
  • Diplomats in Brussels
  • United Nations officials