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Good Evening. I have just completed my meetings with the three Balkan leaders. Today's talks are a part of a determined effort by the United States and the international community to ensure the full implementation of the Dayton Agreement -- an effort that will certainly continue. Each time we meet, we come closer to our goal and we make a return to the past an even more distant prospect. Certainly, today was no exception.
I have said since Dayton that the United States will stay engaged in this process, day in and day out, and I will personally push the process forward with the parties in seeking a full peace.
As you know, we are approaching D + 180, the half-way point in IFOR's mission in Bosnia. I had a full briefing this morning from General Joulwan and Admiral Smith. I can tell you our forces have made really remarkable strides in ensuring the transfer of territory, the demobilization of troops, and the cantonment of heavy weapons. They have done this in less than six months, they have already achieved what the cynics thought was once impossible.
This progress has important implications: Though Bosnia is still a troubled country, the prospect that its communities will once again seek to resolve their difficulties by force is, fortunately, fading. In addition, IFOR is now in a position to expand its presence throughout all of Bosnia to establish a safe and secure environment for civilian implementation. Our troops will conduct more visible and proactive patrols throughout the country.
This will improve conditions for freedom of movement and put war criminals at greater risk of apprehension. As General Joulwan made it clear in our meeting this morning, IFOR considers it an important part of its mission to apprehend those indicted war criminals with whom it comes into contact.
We are also establishing more hopeful conditions in the region for the people of Bosnia. In Bosnia, IFOR reports that 10,000 to 15,000 people are crossing the inter-entity boundary line every day. Reconstruction is gaining momentum. General Joulwan told me that work will soon begin on the road to Gorazde. This summer, the United States will begin refurbishing 2,500 homes which were damaged in the war. As we announced last week, President Clinton and I are sending Dick Sklar to Sarajevo to expedite our assistance there. I am also pleased to announce that the United States Agency for International Development will soon open an office in Banja Luka. We strongly believe that all those who support the peace process should see its benefits on the ground.
In our talks today, we advanced the peace process even further. First and foremost, the three Presidents joined together to call for elections in Bosnia by September 14th, the date established at Dayton. They also agreed that an exact date should be announced to provide a focus for the work that remains prior to the elections. Let me tell you why this is a very important development.
If we had given in to calls to delay the elections, it would only entrench the status quo in Bosnia. It would reduce pressure on the parties to meet their commitments, and in fact, make it less likely that the conditions on which free elections depend will be established. As the residents agreed today, it would risk widening the divisions which continue to exist in Bosnia.
Holding free and fair elections is the necessary precondition to a democratic government for all Bosnians and for the diverse communities there. It gives us another effective way to eliminate indicted war criminals from government, for they will not be permitted to run for office. It is the only sure way to give the people of Bosnia -- all the people of Bosnia -- a real chance to shape their future. They were denied their voice by five years of war and the sooner they regain it, the better.
Of course, to make sure that the elections can achieve their intended goals, the parties have to meet their commitments to assure freedom of movement and a free media. There is much work to be done. But today, we have taken some important steps to that end.
For the first time, each side agreed to recognize the validity of identity documents and press credentials issued by other entities -- a precondition for free and fair elections. They also agreed that any municipality that fails to constitute Local Election Committees will risk losing its right to participate in the elections. They also agreed to establish telephone links. They will also fully support an Open Broadcast Network -- a new television network organized by the international community.
The Balkan Presidents also agreed to instruct their negotiators to conclude talks on arms control this week, in advance of the June 11 deadline set by Dayton. They reaffirmed the importance of beginning arbitration on Brcko, and accepted the United States' offer to help identify a third arbitrator, after the parties name their two arbitrators, the Bosnians already having identified theirs.
I made it very clear to the parties today that indicted war criminals must be removed from positions of authority and turned over to the War Crimes Tribunal. There is a growing determination in the international community to see that these commitments are fulfilled.
This process -- the Dayton process, and all that it involves -- has been and will remain a difficult process. And while the glass is not yet full in Bosnia, it certainly is filling. The United States is determined to stay engaged to keep the parties moving toward peace -- the kind of peace that I believe can only be built one step at a time.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you referred to maybe more public and more expanded patrols. Is that a change in mission? I think you said it is a bit of a change, but what I really would like to know is if these prominent war criminals or others appeared in public, going skiing for instance, or attending the funeral of a comrade-in-arms, one might say euphemistically, would they now have been arrested under the new condition?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Barry, on the front part of your question, it is not a change in mission. But, as we have said before, as IFOR completes the military aspects of its obligations, as they for example accomplish such things as the cantonment of weapons, it gives them more resources and more time to accomplish other missions. As General Joulwan said today, IFOR is going to be involved in more proactive patrolling than they have been in the past. In that patrolling, if they come upon the indicted war criminals, as my statement says, IFOR recognizes an obligation to arrest the indicted war criminals and turn them over to the war crimes tribunal. On the specific question you have asked, if the proactive patrolling brought them into contact with the indicted war criminals at the places you have mentioned, they would arrest them and turn them over to The Hague.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I gather from your comments that you did not receive from Serbian President Milosevic the kind of assurances you wanted concerning Karadzic and Mladic. Could you tell us a little bit about your discussions with him and what, if anything, he told you about those two men?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Well, I left him in no doubt about my own views and the views of the United States that they should be removed from office and turned over to the war crimes tribunal. He indicated that he had certain letters, or that certain steps had been taken, to make other people acting President. I told him that just was not enough. What we needed to see was real action, real movement. By real movement we mean the removal of the indicted war criminals from office. We had a good, firm conversation on that subject. He left here, I think, fully understanding my views.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, at what stage, if the status quo continues, and specifically regarding the war criminals Karadzic and Mladic, at what stage would the United States seek to re-impose sanctions on Serbia and the Bosnian Serbs?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: The Dayton Agreement and the following United Nations resolution contains a very important provision. That provision is that either the IFOR commander or the high representative Carl Bildt, who is here, can make a finding that any of the parties has not been complying with the Dayton Agreement. Once that finding is made, there is a virtual, automatic re-imposition of sanctions, without any further action by the United Nations Security Council. It's simply passed up the chain of command, and that takes place. That is a very important resource or tool that we have. That was pointed out today. I am not in the business of establishing deadlines but, as I said in my statement, I think there is a growing impatience on the part of the international community with the situation that exists, and I think a growing understanding of the inconsistency between the presence of indicted war criminals and proceeding to open and fair elections.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I understood you to say that at this midterm meeting in Florence there would be a certain date announced for these elections. Does that mean that the OSCE will, on that date, certify that conditions are ready for those elections? Or will the certification come later -- and if it does comes later, is there a date certain for that certification to come?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Steve, I do not think I referred to the Florence meeting, but let me answer the question this way. The presidents -- that is, the three parties, the Balkan presidents -- indicated today that the elections should take place no later than the outside date provided for in the Dayton Agreement. That is, no later than September 14. They also emphasized the importance of that decision being made at a relatively early time so that the parties could focus on what happens in the future. I feel confident that date will be fixed sometime in the month of June. I think it may be ready for announcement by the time of the Florence meeting on the 14th of June. It will be required, of course, to make the findings that you have mentioned. Those findings of course will indicate that over the period of time -- the three months between June 14th, for example, and September 14th -- there would have to be ongoing preparations which would help to ensure -- which would ensure -- that the elections would be free and fair, thus fulfilling the certification requirements.
QUESTION: Can you give assurance today that Karadzic will not still be at liberty by the time these elections take place in September? And if he is still at liberty, will you recommend these elections are delayed?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: As I have said before, I think that the strong preference is that he be removed from office and turned over to the war crimes tribunal. I do not exclude the possibility that elections might be held if he's not been turned over to the war crimes tribunal. But that certainly is the better approach, the preferred approach, and ones that we are strongly urging on the parties and we hope will be achieved.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, coming in today, President Izetbegovic said that he did not believe that elections could be held as long as Karadzic was in office. What did you do to talk him out of that?
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Well, you just have to read the statement that the parties agreed on, which may not have been distributed to you yet. In the fourth paragraph, the parties state very clearly that the most important next step in the peace process would be to hold free and fair elections within the time period established by the Agreement, that is, the 14th of September. I think that President Izetbegovic, like many others, clings to the view, maintains the view, that it would be far preferable for Karadzic to be out of office and turned over to the war crimes tribunal by that time. The agreed statement is quite expansive or extensive on the subject of the elections, and we are all going to work very hard to try to achieve that result. I think President Izetbegovic will be one of the strongest proponents of trying to make sure that Karadzic is out of office. Nevertheless he realizes the importance of setting the date so the parties can focus between now and the 14th of September on ensuring that conditions are ready for the free and fair elections. Thank you very much.
[end of document]
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