(26 Feb 1996) English/Nat
The Bosnian government is accusing the NATO peace keeping group I-FOR of helping the Serb leadership with their propaganda campaign in Sarajevo
A Serb convoy, made up of military and civilian trucks set off early this morning to collect Serbs from Vogosca in Ilija, the first of the Serbian suburbs to be transferred to the Muslim-Croat Federation.
Admiral Leighton Smith, I-FOR Commander in Sarajevo, agreed to the convoy during a visit to the suburb on Saturday.
A ghostly light for this Serb convoy's early morning start.
The civilian trucks have just left the Lucavica barracks on the outskirts of Sarajevo to pick up Serbs in Vogosca - the first of the Serb-held suburbs to be turned over to Muslim-Croat rule.
Military trucks will head to Ilija, another suburb to offer rides to any Serbs who want to leave.
To date the Serbs have largely fled under their own steam, terrified that they would face reprisals from the Bosnian Government authorities.
But today's (Monday's) convoy saw I-FOR troops assisting on the roadways.
Following reports that Muslims were stoning the departing Serbs, the commander of the NATO-led force in Bosnia agreed to provide security for today's evacuation.
NATO agreed to escort the refugee convoy, despite objections from the United Nations that the evacuation undermined efforts to restore Sarajevo as a peaceful, multi-ethnic city.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We cannot leave all these people in the streets without help, in the snow. And so I think it's very important for us and the community to help these people without help. It's only that. That's why I say that we won't escort this convoy - we are only a facilitator of the traffic."
SUPERCAPTION: Colonel Pernot, French I-FOR Spokesman
The Bosnian government, however, looks at IFOR's decision differently.
They believe it gives the impression that IFOR is assisting the Bosnian Serbs despite the alleged atrocities they committed during the war.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think it's sad. I think it's sad that the international communities military force assists war criminals, Karadzic and Mladic, in perpetuating their political aim which is to show to the Serb population that they must not live together with the others."
SUPERCAPTION: Mirza Hajric, Bosnian Government Spokesman
Nevertheless, the operation went ahead.
NATO troops also ensured the conditions of the Dayton Agreement were fulfilled - and seemingly without a hitch.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
'Things seem to have gone quite orderly and quietly this morning, everything has gone well with the Federation'
SUPERCAPTION: Robert Wasserman, International Police Task Force
Today (Monday) in Rajlovac, the square was filled with as the Federation police took over authority.
A similar scene to Vogosca in Ilijas as a Serb military convoy arrived in the suburb due to be transferred to Muslim-Croat Federation control in three days (Thursday).
These buses too, are being filled with Serbs unwilling to stay in their homes living under the Bosnian Government.
Bosnian Serbs planned to send 2-hundred army trucks into Serb-held suburbs of Vogosca, Ilijas, Rajlovac for the evacuation, Bosnian Serb television reported.
Under the Dayton peace plan, the districts and two others are to come under control of the Muslim-Croat government by March 19th.
The peace plan called for Bosnia's division into a Serb republic and the joint Muslim-Croat federation.
Thousands of Bosnian Serbs already have fled Sarajevo, fearing retaliation by the Muslims and Croats whom the Serbs battled for 3«
years.
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