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Why are we in Bosnia?
- The United States has a deep and abiding interest in helping to create a stable peace in Bosnia.
- In addition to the powerful humanitarian interest of ensuring that we do not see a repeat of the terrible violence and human suffering that was perpetrated during the war, the U.S. also has considerable security interests in bringing stability to southeastern Europe and reinforcing the viability of the NATO alliance.
- The United States led the diplomatic and military effort to secure the Dayton agreement. We must now continue to lead the effort to ensure its full implementation.
- The post-Dayton peacekeeping mission in Bosnia is the first major test of the post-Cold War European security system. So far it has been very successful. We must build on that success.
What have we accomplished?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina were devastated by almost 4 years of war. In the 2 years since Dayton, substantial progress has been made toward rebuilding the lives of the Bosnian people, creating the conditions for a sustainable peace, and planting the seeds of democratic reform.
Since Dayton:
- A stable military environment has been created--more than 300,000 troops have returned to civilian life and 6,600 heavy weapons have been destroyed;
- Public security is improving through restructuring, retraining, and integration of local police;
- Democratic elections have been held at all levels of government, and hardline nationalists--especially in the Republika Srpska--are increasingly marginalized;
- The Bosnian economy has experienced a dramatic recovery since Dayton, with GDP more than doubling and unemployment rapidly decreasing. Electric power, telephone service, and water systems have been restored in all major cities and many rural areas;
- The independent media is growing, with international support;
- More than 400,000 refugees and displaced persons have returned home--170,000 in 1997;
- Almost one-third of the publicly indicted war criminals (23 out of 79) have now been taken into custody.
In many ways, 1997 was a breakthrough year for Bosnia. While an enormous amount of work remains to be done, the outlines of a stable, peaceful Bosnia have taken shape. The success in 1997 was in large part due to the close cooperation between SFOR and the civilian implementation agencies. In every area--media reform, police reform, elections--SFOR's backup to the overall implementation effort was critical to success. The U.S. finally hit on the right formula for Dayton implementation: vigorous civilian implementation efforts led b a forceful High Representative, backed up by and coordinated with the international military presence.
What is the outlook for 1998?
- The outlook for Bosnian peace implementation in 1998 is excellent. The installation of a new, pro-Dayton government in the Serb entity--replacing a government dominated by ethnic extremists--has produced a dramatic breakthrough for the peace process.
- The December meeting of the Peace Implementation Council in Bonn authorized High Representative Westendorp to make binding interim decisions on issues where the parties failed to reach agreement. This step eliminates the ability of any single party to block progress.
- Since Bonn, Westendorp has imposed a new citizenship law (necessary for passport issuance), a new currency, and a new flag. Bosnian Serb obstructionism had previously blocked each of these moves.
- A key event in 1998 will be the nation-wide elections in September. They will be an important chance for the Bosnian people to take control of their own future by electing post-war leaders who can create the conditions for a lasting peace.
- The OSCE will once again supervise the 1998 elections and the U.S. will expand efforts to ensure the broadest availability of independent, objective media reporting.
- The U.S. and our allies will continue to put maximum pressure on the regional guarantors of Dayton--Croatia and Serbia--to fully abide by their commitments. We will maintain our pressure to encourage them to improve their performance of democratization and respect for minority rights. Peace in Bosnia is inextricably linked to peace and democracy in the region.
- As we move forward, the U.S. and our allies will continue to need troops on the ground to provide a secure environment for the overall peace implementation effort.
What about war criminals?
- While far too many indicted war criminals remain at large, 1997 was a breakthrough year--we quadrupled the number of indicted war criminals in custody. We remain committed to seeing that justice is done and will continue to put maximum pressure on those authorities that harbor war criminals.
- While the U.S. and our allies certainly would prefer that the local authorities fulfill their responsibilities under Dayton to turn over all indictees on their territory, we will continue to explore all options to get the remaining indictees to The Hague.
Why is there a need for American leadership?
- U.S. leadership has been--and will continue to be--the key ingredient for successful peace implementation in Bosnia. The parties in the region, our European allies, and the international implementing agencies are all partners in this endeavor, but overall leadership by the U.S. remains indispensable.
- An important aspect of U.S. leadership is our ability to integrate the civilian and military aspects of the peace effort. Only the U.S. can pull all the strands of the complex peace implementation effort together effectively.
- The U.S. has accomplished much to be proud of in Bosnia. In addition to stopping the war and ending the terrible human tragedy, our engagement in Bosnia has reinvigorated NATO and strengthened our leadership role in Europe.
- We must now finish the job and make the final push to achieve full success. By staying a little longer now, we can make sure that when we pull our troops out of Bosnia we can be confident that they will not have to return.
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