July 4, 1996

Perry: No U.S. Arms Unless Muslim, Croat Forces Unite

By PHILIP SHENON

ARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- The Clinton administration promised Wednesday to begin shipping weapons to Bosnia as early as this month if the government here approves merging Muslim and Bosnian Croat troops into a single army.

But the $360 million in military aid that Defense Secretary William Perry offered at a meeting in Sarajevo, tempting though it might have been, did not seal any promises to approve the merger, which was seen as another reflection of the shakiness of the Muslim-Croat Federation that was established under the peace accords.

"As soon as the defense law is approved, I will begin full-scale action" to provide weapons and training, Perry told reporters after talks with President Alija Izetbegovic. "Agreement is near on that."

But, Perry conceded, not near enough. There has been resistance from both sides to merger, and Pentagon officials traveling with the secretary said Izetbegovic was under intense pressure from some Muslim deputies to maintain a separate Muslim army.

The Muslims and the Croats were opponents in a vicious war in 1993 and 1994, and many in both groups do not want to unify their troops.

Administration officials say the military aid, which would also be underwritten by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others, would provide a merged army with the weapons and training it sorely needs if it ever has to fight the better-equipped Bosnian Serbs.

The weapons would include American M-60 tanks, UH-1 helicopters and tens of thousands of M-16 rifles, along with millions of dollars in ammunition. Pentagon officials said some smaller weapons could be airlifted into Bosnia within days if the law is approved.

After his meeting Wednesday, Perry suggested that the Muslims and the Bosnian Croats would jeopardize the peace effort if they turned down the offer.

The American-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia "cannot give Bosnia permanent peace and security" and "cannot give Bosnia a prosperous country," he said. "These are gifts that only Bosnians can give to themselves."

Administration officials say, however, that the distrust between the Muslims and the Bosnian Croats is so great that they may indeed turn down the aid to avoid limiting the power of their respective leaders. Under the defense law being considered, Izetbegovic would have to transfer much of his power over Muslim troops to the Muslim-Croat Federation.

"This is fundamental," said a Defense Department official, speaking on condition that he not be identified: "How much power will Izetbegovic maintain as the head of state over the defense forces? How much power will be shared with the Federation? So it's not surprising that it would come down to this one issue."

The official said it was "imperative" for the Muslims and Bosnian Croats to agree to the law because "we've got to get moving if we're going to have anything approaching a train-and-equip program in place" by the time NATO peacekeepers pull out of Bosnia, which is scheduled for December.

The United States is pressing similar arguments on the Bosnian Croat leadership, "and it's proving just as difficult," a Pentagon official said.

Perry and Izetbegovic also discussed Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb civilian leader, whose ouster the United States has been seeking for months.

"We pointed out the obvious fact that his presence is endangering and mocking the whole peace process," Izetbegovic told reporters.

This issue provoked a rare public outburst from Perry in response to a question about why the peacekeepers have not arrested Karadzic, who has been indicted on charges of genocide by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

"I'm getting a little sick of hearing those comments," said Perry, who is known for his calm, professorial tone. He repeated the administration's oft-stated view that American troops have no mandate to hunt down war-crimes suspects, but may arrest them if they encounter them.

He said the debate over arresting Karadzic overlooked a far-larger point: "We have brought peace to Bosnia," he said heatedly. "Don't anyone forget that."