Thursday, December 3, 1998 Published at 09:05 GMT

Bosnian Serb president:

Nato overstepped

mandate

SFOR was created when the mandate of NATO

peacekeeping troops expired in June

Nikola Poplasen, President of the Bosnian

Serb Republic, has accused the Nato-led

SFOR troops overstepped their authority in

the arrest of Bosnian Serb General Radislav

Krstic as a suspected war criminal.

The following is the text of Mr Poplasen's

address, as broadcast by Bosnian Serb

Television on 2 December.

Ladies and gentlemen, guests, parliamentary

representatives.

Considering the agenda, I was going to speak at

this session of the National Assembly of the Serb

Republic anyway, but unfortunately, to my

dissatisfaction - and I believe yours as well - I have

to address you at this point regardless of the

agenda.

I presume you have been more or less informed

about the fact that General Radislav Krstic,

Commander of the 5th Corps [of the Serb

Republic Army], was arrested today after 12

o'clock, at about 1230 [1130 GMT], by SFOR

[Nato-led Stabilization Force].

I, as well as other representatives of the Serb

Republic and the Serb Republic [RS] Army, was

informed about that by SFOR Commander

General Montgomery Meigs.

I have also been informed through other means

available in the Serb Republic for informing the

state leadership about details regarding this and

similar events.

I have scheduled a session of the Supreme

Defence Council for 1900 tonight. We will discuss

the event at the session and determine our

position.

I urge you to be patient and wait for a definite

position until after we complete the session.

Adhering to the rules

Naturally, after the session, I am willing to inform

the national assembly about our position, if you so

require, so that the national assembly can commit

itself on the position of the Supreme Defence

Council.

I suggest that, after my brief address, the RS

national assembly continues working in

accordance with the agenda.

I also suggest that the current agenda item

discussed, ie.amendments that are currently

under discussion, that you consider the context of

the bill, the circumstances in which it is being

adopted, and that everything you do be in line with

the law, rules of procedure, but especially with the

Dayton peace agreement.

Rest assured that our position on today's event

and future events will be based on a clear-cut

adherence to the provisions of the Dayton peace

agreement.

There is no reason to dispute or violate those

provisions.

SFOR overstepped the mark

Unfortunately, according to my information at

present, SFOR overstepped its authority during

the arrest of Gen Krstic in a drastic manner.

Several of his co-workers were also arrested. That

has nothing to do with the procedure that the

SFOR mandate has for the arrest of suspected

war criminals if SFOR should encounter them by

chance [in the course of carrying out regular

duties].

In other words, this was a completely organised

operation performed by persons wearing civilian

uniforms [as heard], an interception that can only

be seen in the movies.

At this point, I feel I need to provide a wider context

for parliamentary representatives as well as for the

public and say that, following the anti-Dayton

decision of the High Representative [Carlos

Westendorp] and SFOR commander, I am not

authorised to appoint and replace RS Army

generals.

The decision of the High Representative and

SFOR commander has no basis in the Dayton

peace agreement. The Supreme Defence Council,

including all of its members ie. including members

of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Presidency from the

Serb Republic [Zivko Radisic], assembly

chairman, prime minister, chief of the General

Staff, interior minister and defence minister - agree

with me.

Our unanimous position is that such a position is

purely voluntary and that it does not stem from

actions of the political leadership and the army of

the Serb Republic from the previous period.

On many occasions I have received assurances

from SFOR representatives as well as from NATO

General [Wesley] Clark that the RS Army had

done everything that the military annex of the

Dayton agreement requires.

I really do not understand such measures. I sent a

letter to the High Representative and SFOR

commander on behalf of the Supreme Defence

Council demanding that they revise the matter and

take a decision in keeping with the constitution of

the Serb Republic and the constitution of the

Bosnia-Hercegovina, ie. the entire Dayton

Agreement.

Political not military solution

A continuation of such activities could lead to a full

erosion of what was signed in Dayton, of the

described authority of military-police forces of

international organisations that have been present

in the Serb Republic after the signing of the Dayton

Agreement, as well as to the erosion of the

authority of the RS state institutions.

That overall context will be subject to discussion.

We are convinced that, regardless of the nature of

this event, whose motivation we do not

understand, we should insist on the consistent

implementation of the verified procedure.

I am convinced that we must look for a rational

way out of the situation.

At this point, I am still hopeful that we can find a

political way, relying on the strength of arguments,

not tanks and aeroplanes, and come up with

solutions that are in the interest of the Serb

Republic of the Serb people, of all peoples living

here, of Bosnia-Hercegovina, in the interest of

ideas linked to the Dayton peace agreement and

its signatories.

I fully understand the justified emotional reactions

of the people in the Serb Republic, especially of

the friends and fellow soldiers of General Krstic,

but I assure all of you here, as well as the entire

public, that we will try to find the most productive

solution, that the solution is not always tied to the

best of intentions and what seem to be justified

emotions, but to the circumstances under which

we are forced to act.

I once again urge you to be patient. I suggest that,

in keeping with your obligations as parliamentary

representatives, you try to find compromise

solutions in line with the Dayton agreement for the

legal projects ahead of us.

I fear we may find ourselves in a new situation in

which the national assembly could be painted in

the wrong light.

Regardless of the differences among the

representatives and clubs of representatives, I am

absolutely convinced that this is a markedly

multiparty assembly, that what we hear is a

zealous competition of positions and ideas in an

atmosphere that is much more appropriate and

much more tolerant than in many other multiparty

assemblies that have functioned for hundreds of

years.

Regardless of the fact that we should nourish a

competitive atmosphere, things must nevertheless

always end in a compromise and a show of

hands.

I believe we will all act as responsible and rational

individuals in keeping with the mandate given to us

by the Serb Republic electorate.

Thank you.