U.S. Interests, U.S. Achievements: Highlights

Bosnia
by Ambassador Madeleine Albright, 6/11/96

The Clinton Administration took the lead in resolving the Bosnia crisis because a peaceful settlement not only reinforces our country's basic humanitarian values but is a smart investment in our national security.

Twice this century we have been forced to fight in European wars that were not stopped early enough. That is one reason why we sent almost 20,000 U. S. troops to participate in the Implementation Force (IFOR), to guarantee the separation of forces during the fragile months after the ceasefire. . . .

A major component of the Dayton Accords is the requirement for free and fair elections, overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE mission for Bosnia, headed by U.S. diplomat Robert Frowick, is working to certify the conditions for democratic elections at both the federal and local level. And just last week, the Presidents of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia reaffirmed their commitment to the election timetable . . .

True reconciliation requires the trying and sentencing of individuals, rather than ethnic groups, for involvement in war crimes. I am proud to say that the Bosnian War Crimes Tribunal, created with American political, economic and moral support, has just begun the trial process in the Hague. . . .

Of course the path to an enduring peace and final justice remains long and complicated. But the killing has stopped, the threat of regional escalation has subsided, reconciliation has begun, perpetrators of war crimes are being held accountable and millions of ordinary people in the Balkans are discovering that they have a personal stake in a strong and prosperous democracy.

Free election without free speech?
by Brian Makens, 6/17/96

Can there be a free and fair election in a country, where the conditions for free speech aren't even present. I submit the true criteria for whether a free election is possible, is whether a SDA supporter can stand on soap box in Pale, a SDS supporter in central Sarajevo, or a HDZ supporter in Banja Luka, and spout their parties message without phalanxes of IFOR troops/UN police needed to protect the speaker.

This weekend Haris Siladzic(sp?) and his followers were attacked in Cazin by several hundred SDA supporters, Siladzic was hit on the head by an iron bar. This is a muslim politician in a muslim controlled area. In the RS, there have been complaints by the Socialist Party of bombings of their headquarters orchestrated by the SDS.

It seems quite clear, that the conditions within each ethnic enclave don't really allow for free speech and campaigning by members of their own ethnic group, much less other ethnic groups. Media and police are controlled by each of the three main ethnic parties to inhibit and discourage free speech.

Without free speech, how can you possibly have a free election?

What matters is accountability
by EB Weiss, 6/21/96

What matters about Karadzic and Mladic is that if we allow these war criminals to go unpunished, then it leaves the dooropen for others to behave in the same unconscionable fashion. Without justice there is no peace. Without personal accountability, there is no hope for the future.

Be Proud America
by 1LT James Farrell, 6/15/96

As a US soldier stationed in Zivinice, Bosnia-Herzegovina, I am extremely curious to know what Americans think about our involvement in Bosnia. After serving six months in Bosnia, I must say that President Clinton (I did not vote for him) made the right decision to send us to help with the implementation of the Dayton accords. Why? The children of Bosnia. For those who believe that the US has no place in Bosnia, come here and see the look of hope in the children's eyes. It will change your mind, it changed mine. At times, I hate being in Bosnia more than anything in the world. One year is along time. I miss my wife terribly and I can not wait to leave Bosnia, but it is the sight of the children that keeps me motivated. Be proud America. We are doing the right thing.

Destiny for Bosnian Serbs - the same like Krajina Serbs?
by Petar Makara (Makarov), 6/11/96

Madam Albright:

What a great democracy to have someone so high in American Administration get on a public medium! One can only admire your courage to participate. I hope that many people, round the world, who have access to this medium, would also collect courage to ask you some crucial questions...

I know that you cannot sleep at night because your job of ETHNIC CLEANSING OF SERBS FROM BOSNIA IS ONLY HALF-DONE. (To be more precise, the Serbs were cleansed only from 51% of the land) . . .

Briliant solutions are simple and elegant. The only thing one had to do is to disregard the Charter of the United Nations (the part that talks about right of PEOPLE for self determination and disregard that right for the Serbs of Krajina), the Helsinki Accords (the part that talks about inviolability of the EXTERNAL borders of European countries). The solution was to achieve an equilibrium in Croatia (just like now in Bosnia) and arm and train Croats so that they can expell ALL Serbs from Communist created Croatia including the Serbs from Krajina - the historically Serbian lands.

My question is: WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE IN THE GENOCIDE AND ETHNIC CLEANSING OF SERBS OF KRAJINA? What do you think the punishment should be for those who committed, by now, the largest ethnic cleansing on the Balkan peninsula - the expulsion and dispossession of ALL SERBS of Croatia?

I'll appreciate your answer.