US DEPARTMENT OF STATE DISPATCH
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 6, FEBRUARY 8, 1993
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Department of State Reorganization -- Secretary Christopher
2. Department Statements
3. US Commitment To Advance the Middle East Peace Negotiations --
President Clinton
4. Fifth Report on War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia
ARTICLE 1:
Department of State Reorganization
Secretary Christopher
Following are the Secretary's message to State Department employees and
his implementation directive on reorganization released in Washington,
DC, February 5, 1993
Secretary's Message to State Department Employees
As I join all of you in the challenging job of shaping and directing
America's foreign policy, it is clear that we must make changes in the
way the State Department is organized.
The organization of our Department has evolved over the years in
response to unique circumstances in the international environment. We
serve in a State Department that is far better organized for the decades
past than for the special challenges America faces in the post-Cold War
era.
I want our Department to be able to deal more effectively with the new
issues of critical importance to our nation's foreign policy:
strengthening democratization efforts in the former Soviet Union and
around the world, halting the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction, strengthening peace-keeping capabilities, dealing more
effectively with global environmental problems, elevating our concern
about the global population explosion, fighting international crime and
terrorism, and penetrating new markets for American business.
We cannot hope to respond to these and other new challenges unless we
improve the way we deal with tough and complex problems which cut across
the traditional boundaries of our bureaus. We must design creative ways
to both increase the efficiency of the policy process and enhance the
administration of the many programs we manage. This will mean:
-- Designating five Under Secretaries together with the Deputy
[Secretary] as my principal foreign policy advisers;
-- Creating new focal points for key foreign policy initiatives;
-- Eliminating redundancies and concentrating greater decision making
responsibility within the bureaus;
-- Reducing excessive layering to streamline information flow and
decision making;
-- Enhancing communication in all directions by asking most bureaus to
report to me through a designated Under Secretary who will coordinate
the activities of related bureaus and facilitate needed access to me and
the Seventh Floor; and
-- Creating a streamlined Office of the Secretary to provide me and the
Deputy Secretary with a more effective means to receive information and
make decisions.
Over the past weeks, the transition has afforded us an extended
opportunity to examine closely the organization of the Department in
light of President Clinton's foreign policy priorities. We were not
alone in this endeavor, since work was well underway by the Department's
own Management Task Force "State 2000" as well as by other groups of
qualified professionals. The changes I ask to be implemented emerge
from what I believe is a growing consensus for change within and outside
the Department.
I do not seek these changes merely for the sake of change itself. When
undertaking a degree of reorganization, we must be mindful that change
can be disruptive. Thus, it must be carefully planned so as not to
interfere with the orderly functioning of the Department. While some of
the changes outlined in the attached directive can be achieved quickly
by administrative action subject to congressional consultation, others
will require legislation which we plan to seek in the very near future.
We have initiated the process of discussion with Congress and have, thus
far, received a positive reaction to our
approach.
There is great talent in the Department of State among those who have
devoted themselves to careers of public service. President Clinton and
I wish better to harness this talent so critical to the interests of our
nation. We must change to do this. I am convinced that the measured
changes we now undertake can enable us to deal with both the problems
and opportunities of a new era in foreign policy.
Secretary's Implementation Directive for Reorganization
In order to implement the foreign policy priorities of the President of
the United States and to more effectively and efficiently carry out the
foreign policy responsibilities of the Department of State, I ask that
the following changes be implemented to occur upon passage of
legislation or by this directive upon completion of congressional
consultations.
1. The Under Secretaries shall be the principal foreign policy advisers
to the Secretary and directly in the chain of command.
I wish to strengthen the role of the Under Secretaries. They shall
serve as my principal foreign policy advisers and assist me and the
Deputy Secretary in executing and coordinating the activities of the
Department. They will be given line responsibility to manage and
coordinate the operations of the bureaus which will report to them.
The use of Under Secretaries as senior advisers to the Secretary should
be accompanied by a realignment of the chain of command. In the future,
Assistant Secretaries will report directly to the designated Under
Secretary. Changes in reporting responsibility will not alter the
important role of the Assistant Secretaries in the formulation of
foreign policy or their access to the Office of the Secretary.
The major benefits from this change are creating a better system of
information flow from the bureaus to the Under Secretary and the Office
of the Secretary, achieving greater efficiency in Departmental decision-
making, permitting more extensive coordination of key cross-cutting
issues at the bureau and Under Secretary levels, and strengthening the
Under Secretaries in the interagency process.
Listed elsewhere in this directive are the groupings of bureaus in
specific clusters and the designated lines of reporting to specific
Under Secretaries.
2. Creation of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs.
I shall ask Congress to create a fifth Under Secretary for Global
Affairs (G) needed to manage and redirect critical global issues now
found at the heart of post-Cold War foreign policy. These issues cut
across nearly every boundary of the geographic and functional bureaus.
We must insure that they are given high-level attention in a new and
strengthened system of Under Secretaries. The substantive concerns of
the Under Secretary for Global Affairs shall reside in bureaus dealing
with the environment, science, oceans policy, democracy promotion, human
rights, international labor issues, refugees, population, counter-
terrorism, international narcotics, and other international criminal
issues. Better coordination of the programs managed by these bureaus
across many agencies and departments will be a critical role for this
new Under Secretary.
Given the pressing need to have an Under Secretary for Global Affairs in
place in the very near future, President Clinton intends to initially
nominate his candidate for this post as Counselor and then have Congress
reconstitute this position as the new Under Secretary. I will also ask
the Congress to establish a new Counselor position at Executive Level
IV, thereby maintaining the current number of Executive Level III posts
in the Department.
3. Creation of three new bureaus to streamline policy and consolidate
functions.
I shall ask Congress to define three new bureaus derived from existing
bureaus and functions in the Department to streamline the formulation of
policy in these important areas and to better manage the substantial
programs operated by these organizations.
a. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)--This bureau will
be created by combining the current Bureau of Human Rights and
Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of Special Assistant to the
Secretary and Coordinator for Labor Affairs; the latter shall be
relocated in the new bureau in a Deputy Assistant Secretary position.
This bureau will provide an organizational home for initiatives and
policies which promote democracy. By combining associated activities
related to human rights and labor affairs, the bureau will play a major
role in formulating policies designed to build and strengthen democratic
institutions. The Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor will be nominated as Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and
Humanitarian Affairs until legislation can be enacted to reconstitute
and rename that position.
b. Bureau of Narcotics, Terrorism, and Crime (NTC)--This bureau will be
created by expanding the mandate of the Bureau for International
Narcotics Matters to include counter-terrorism and international crime.
The Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism will be relocated in the new
bureau at the Deputy Assistant Secretary level. A new office of
international crime will be created to act as a policy and coordinating
office for all of the Department's activities in this area. The
operational responsibility for the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program
(ATA) will be moved to the new bureau from the Bureau of Diplomatic
Security, thus placing policy and implementation together.
President Clinton and I place great priority on the activities
encompassed by this new bureau in view of the threats posed to our
nation by terrorist groups, narco-traffickers, and international
criminal organizations.
The Assistant Secretary for Narcotics, Terrorism, and Crime will be
nominated initially as the Assistant Secretary for International
Narcotics Matters until a statutory name change can be enacted.
c. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)--In order to
consolidate all Departmental responsibility for refugee matters and to
upgrade policy focus on refugee issues in a single bureau, I will ask
Congress to create a new bureau headed by an Assistant Secretary. This
bureau will also be responsible for coordinating the Department's policy
on population and migration issues. The positions and functions of
Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Refugee Affairs and the Bureau
of Refugee Programs will be subsumed in the new bureau. The nominee for
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Affairs will be confirmed as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for
Refugee Affairs and will hold that position until legislation can be
enacted reconstituting and renaming the position as Assistant Secretary
for PRM.
4. Rename offices in order to indicate a new policy emphasis or changed
mandate.
I will ask Congress to change the names of the following Departmental
units:
a. Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs to be changed
to Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs (E).
This change reflects the need to underscore that this office will have
as a major responsibility harnessing the assets of the Department to
assist the competitive position of US companies.
b. Under Secretary for International Security Affairs to be changed to
Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs (A).
This change reflects new arms control priorities of the Clinton
Administration to deal with the heightened threat of proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. The change also recognizes that the Bureau
of Political-Military Affairs will have new non-proliferation functions
as a result of consolidations discussed in this directive. (The Bureau
of Administration [formerly A] will be designated AD.)
5. Create an Office of Secretary of State.
It is necessary to streamline and reorganize the office and functions
which relate directly to the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary in order
to rationalize critical policy support services, to provide a framework
for high-level decision making and to enable the Secretary and the
Deputy to establish an operational agenda for Under Secretaries,
Assistant Secretaries, and other senior officials.
There is hereby established an Office of Secretary of State which
consists of the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, and the Executive
Secretary as well as their personal staffs. Reporting directly to the
Office of the Secretary shall be:
-- Ambassador-at-Large and Special Adviser to the Secretary of State
for the New Independent States
(S/NIS);
-- The Policy Planning Staff (S/P);
-- The Bureau of Legislative Affairs (H);
-- The Bureau of Public Affairs (PA);
-- The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR);
-- The Legal Adviser (L);
-- The Chief of Protocol (CPR);
-- Secretariat Staff and Operations Center (S/S);
-- The Ombudsman (S/CSO);
-- The Inspector General (OIG);
-- The Foreign Service Grievance Board (FSG); [and]
-- Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights (EEOCR).
The Deputy Secretary shall share major policy responsibilities with the
Secretary and in the absence of the Secretary shall serve in an acting
capacity. In addition, the Deputy Secretary shall:
-- Coordinate the management of international affairs resources,
especially on an interagency basis;
-- Oversee the process of ambassadorial appointments; [and]
-- Assume other tasks and responsibilities at the request of the
Secretary of State, such as reviews of organizational structures.
To achieve the efficient operation of the Office of the Secretary,
Ambassadors-at-Large, Special Advisers, Coordinators, and independent
offices hitherto reporting to the Secretary are abolished, merged with,
or relocated in appropriate bureaus as set out below (to occur upon the
passage of legislation or by this directive upon completion of
congressional consultations).
To be abolished by legislation:
-- Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Refugee Affairs, with
functions subsumed in the Bureau of Refugee Affairs as discussed
previously; and
-- Special Envoy to the Afghan Resistance.
Abolished in this directive with functions relocated as indicated:
-- Special Assistant to the Secretary and Coordinator for International
Labor Affairs (S/IL), with functions assumed by the Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights, and Labor (DRL);
-- Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism (S/CT), with functions included in
the Bureau of Narcotics, Terrorism, and Crime (NTC);
-- Ambassador-at-Large and Special Adviser on Non-Proliferation Policy
and Nuclear Energy Affairs (S/NP), with functions transferred to the
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM); and
-- Office of the Delegation to the Negotiations on Nuclear and Space
Arms (S/DEL), with functions transferred to the Bureau of Political-
Military Affairs (PM).
6. Creation of an Ambassador-at-Large and Special Adviser to the
Secretary of State for the New Independent States (S/NIS).
President Clinton has nominated an Ambassador-at-Large for the New
Independent States, and this person shall also serve as Special Adviser
to the Secretary of State. This new post was created to provide a high-
level focal point for policy formulation and coordination of US
assistance to the states that were under the control of the former
Soviet Union. When confirmed, the Ambassador-at-Large will chair an
interagency policy group to formulate US policy and set US program
priorities for the new independent states.
The Office of Independent States and Commonwealth Affairs (EUR/ISCA)
shall remain in EUR [the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs],
reporting directly to the Ambassador-at-Large. The task force
coordinating assistance to those states (currently D/CISA) and the
position of Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator shall be transferred to
S/NIS and shall report directly to the Ambassador-at-Large. The
Ambassador-at-Large will also provide general policy guidance to the
Coordinator for Safety, Security, and Dismantling Nuclear Weapons (to
become PM/SSD) and to the USAID [US Agency for International
Development] Task Force for the New Independent States (AID/NIS). The
task force coordinating assistance to Eastern Europe (D/EEA) shall be
transferred to the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs.
7. New reporting responsibilities for Assistant Secretaries.
The Department's bureaus shall report directly to the Under Secretaries
as discussed previously. Set forth below are the reporting
responsibilities for each Assistant Secretary:
-- To the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (P)--All six regional
bureaus (ARA, EUR, SA, AF, EAP, NEA) and the Bureau of International
Organization Affairs (IO).
-- To the Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural
Affairs (E)--The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB).
-- To the Under Secretary for Global Affairs (G)--The Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL); the Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES); the Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM); and the Bureau of Narcotics,
Terrorism, and Crime (NTC).
-- To the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
Affairs (A)--The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM).
-- To the Under Secretary for Management (M)--The Bureau of
Administration (AD), the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), the Bureau of
Diplomatic Security (DS), the Bureau of Financial Management and Policy
(FMP), the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), and the Bureau of Personnel
(PER). (Note: Further reorganization of management functions may occur
after an ongoing review is completed.)
8. Functional consolidations will occur to streamline operations and
improve policy focus.
There are several functions which need to be moved to improve policy
formulation and management in key areas.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy and Energy Technology
Affairs (OES/N) and the five offices which report to this position
(OES/NTS, OES/NEC, OES/NEP, OES/NSR, OES/NSC) will be relocated within
the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs so as to further consolidate
all activities relating to the critical issue of halting nuclear
proliferation. The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and
Scientific Affairs (OES) shall retain functions in these offices
relating to non-nuclear energy.
Another goal is to improve the way the Department manages export
controls as they are applied to commercial goods and munitions. Our
interest is in preventing exports that might contribute to proliferation
or to the transfer of technology that could harm US interests and in
promoting legitimate exports that help American industry and the
economy. In order, then, to improve the coherence, consistency, and
efficiency of our efforts in the Department, we are closely reviewing
our export control activities and examining alternative ways of
organizing these functions, with a decision to be made in the next 2
weeks.
Responsibility for international space issues is fragmented and has
produced overlapping roles among the Bureau of Political-Military
Affairs, the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and the Bureau of
Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. We will
also be examining this problem over the next 2 weeks with an eye toward
integrating our diplomacy for space cooperation with broader national
security and foreign policy objectives.
The Nuclear Risk Reduction Center shall report to the Bureau of
Political-Military Affairs. The Coordinator for Safety, Security, and
Dismantling of Nuclear Weapons (SSD) shall be moved to the Bureau of
Political-Military Affairs. The US Delegation to the Open Skies
Conference (T/OS) shall be abolished.
There shall be created in the Bureau of International Organization
Affairs an Office of Peacekeeping to assist the bureau and the
Department in efforts to better plan and coordinate peacekeeping
activities.
There shall be created in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs an
Office of Business Facilitation to serve as a key access point in the
Department for the private sector as well as providing policy guidance
on key issues relating to improving the competitive position of US
companies in world markets. Commercial functions of the Office of
Commercial, Legislative, and Public Affairs (EB/CLP) shall be
transferred to this new office.
The Bureau of International Communications and Information Policy (CIP)
shall be merged into the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs as an
office headed by a Coordinator. The rank of Ambassador associated with
this post shall be discontinued. Legislation will be sought to achieve
this change. International telecommunications negotiations and
agreements are critical to maintaining the competitive position of this
important US industry. This can best be achieved in the context of the
EB bureau, which is the principal place of access for American business.
The Department's interagency role in the telecommunications policy arena
with the Federal Communications Commission and the Commerce Department's
National Telecommunications and Information Administration will be
strengthened by merging this office into a fully staffed bureau.
There shall be created in the Department an Office for the Permanent
Representative for the United Nations to support the Cabinet functions
of this post and to more effectively coordinate with the Bureau of
International Organization Affairs.
In a time of tight budgets and increasing demands on international
affairs resources, clearer priorities must be established for the
International Affairs Budget Function 150 Account if Administration
initiatives are to be realized. Under the direction of the Deputy
Secretary, who will coordinate management of international affairs
resources, the Policy Planning Staff shall provide policy guidance so
that general spending priorities may be established. A deputy in S/P
shall work closely with the Office of Policy and Resources (D/P&R) to
link the policy planning and resource allocation processes.
9. Removing excessive layering.
The number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries in the Department has grown
from 46 in the 1960s to 120 today. I have asked the Under Secretaries
to work with Assistant Secretaries to reduce the number of Deputy
Assistant Secretaries [DASs] and DAS equivalents by about 40% and to
reduce significantly the number of special assistants and other Seventh
Floor staff. These reductions are designed to eliminate excessive
layering, expedite clearance procedures, and strengthen the
responsibilities of office directors and country directors.
I have asked the Deputy Secretary to oversee the implementation of these
changes in a manner consistent with the orderly functioning of the
Department. In doing so, he will work with the Under Secretary for
Management, who will coordinate the implementation of the directive. I
have asked that all affected officials be consulted so as to achieve the
changes in a timely and non-disruptive fashion. I have also asked the
Deputy Secretary to conduct a review of the operations and mandate of
the US Agency for International Development and to report his findings
within 60 days so that we may propose to Congress a reorganization plan
for this agency.
Warren Christopher (###)
ARTICLE 2:
Department Statements
Guatemala Murder Trial
Statement released by the Office of the Assistant Secretary/Spokesman,
Washington, DC, February 1, 1993.
We are concerned that a Guatemalan court denied a request for official
security protection for key prosecution witnesses to the brutal
September 11, 1990, murder of world-renowned Guatemalan anthropologist
Myrna Mack Chang. Testimony free from intimidation is necessary to
ensure that justice be done.
Ms. Mack's murder and the initial lack of any serious investigation
focused international scrutiny on the Guatemalan justice system's
ability to combat human rights abuse. In spite of judicial turnover
which resulted in 12 different judges dealing with the case, and
notwithstanding reports of attempted intimidation, the current trial
judge recently stated that a verdict was due this month; these witnesses
may be required to give further testimony.
We urge appropriate protection for the prosecution witnesses in the Mack
case. We reiterate our expectation that the judicial process in this
case be full, fair, and impartial.
US Supports Ongoing Angolan Talks and Calls for End to Fighting
Statement by State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher, Washington, DC,
February 2, 1993.
The United States welcomes the resumption of direct talks between the
Government of Angola and UNITA [National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola] in Addis Ababa [Ethiopia]. In addition to re-
establishing a dialogue, the two parties found sufficient common ground
to pursue further negotiations next week. The United States commends
and fully supports the work of the United Nations and the Secretary
General's Special Representative, Margaret Anstee, in facilitating these
discussions.
While we are encouraged by this new dialogue, both parties must
recognize the urgent need for a cease-fire. Intense fighting continues
in Angola, undermining the already fragile political and economic
situation. A military solution to Angola's problems is not possible.
The United States joins the international community in reiterating its
call for an immediate end to the violence. UNITA and the Government
must continue their face-to-face talks under UN auspices in order to
resolve their conflict and fulfill the terms of the Bicesse peace
accords.
We remind all parties that any attacks on US facilities, companies, or
personnel in Angola will have the gravest implications for those
responsible. (###)
ARTICLE 3:
US Commitment To Advance The Middle East Peace Negotiations
Statement by President Clinton released by the White House, Office of
the Press Secretary, Washington, DC, February 3, 1993.
In accord with my pledge to maintain continuity in the Arab-Israeli
peace negotiations, I have decided to dispatch Secretary of State
Christopher to the Middle East. His purpose will be to convey to all
the parties my commitment to advance the peace negotiations. He will
elicit their views on how best to promote progress, and he will discuss
bilateral issues and regional problems, including Iraq.
This will be Secretary Christopher's first mission abroad. It is an
indication of the priority my Administration attaches to peace-making in
the Middle East. It also presents an opportunity for the parties to
focus their energies on the formidable challenge of achieving peace in a
strife-torn region.
With violence engulfing so much of the world, it is striking that in the
Middle East a process of direct negotiations has begun. Israel, all its
Arab neighbors, and the Palestinians have been engaged in a common
endeavor to achieve a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on UN
Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
The United States, together with our Russian co-sponsor, played a
critical role in launching these negotiations. It is my intention to
see that we continue that role.
We cannot impose a solution in the Middle East. Only the leaders of the
region can make peace. Theirs is an awesome responsibility. Those who
oppose the process, who seek to subvert it through violence and
intimidation, will find no tolerance here for their methods. But those
who are willing to make peace will find in me and my Administration a
full partner. This is a historic moment. It can slip away all too
easily. But if we seize the opportunity, we can begin now to construct
a peaceful Middle East for future generations. (###)
ARTICLE 4:
Fifth Report on War Crimes In the Former Yugoslavia
Following is the text of the Supplemental United States Submission of
Information to the UN Security Council in Accordance with Paragraph 5 of
Resolution 771 (1992) and Paragraph 1 of Resolution 780 (1992), released
on December 7, 1992. For the text of the first four reports, see
Dispatch Vol. 3 No. 39, p. 732; Vol. 3, No. 44, p. 802; Vol. 3, No. 46,
p. 825; and Vol. 3, No. 52, p. 917.
For the text of Resolution 771, see Dispatch Supplement, Vol. 3, No. 7,
p. 44. For text of Resolution 780, see Dispatch, Vol. 3, No. 41, p.
769.
Editor's Note: The following contains graphic descriptions.
This is the fifth submission by the United States Government of
information pursuant to paragraph 5 of Security Council Resolution 771
(1992) relating to the violations of humanitarian law, including grave
breaches of the Geneva Conventions, being committed in the territory of
the former Yugoslavia. As in our three previous reports, we have
focused on grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and, in accordance
with Resolution 771, have provided information that is "substantiated,"
that is, which rests upon eyewitness testimony directly available to us
or that includes detail sufficient for corroboration. For the moment,
we have also tried not to duplicate information provided to us from
other countries and non-governmental sources, which we understand will
submit reports pursuant to Resolutions 771 and 780. The information
provided is intended to be useful to the commission of experts
established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 780. The United
States has further substantiating information concerning the incidents
included in this report, which we will make available directly to the
commission of experts on a confidential basis.
In accordance with paragraph 1 of Resolution 780, the United States
intends to continue providing reports as additional relevant information
comes into our possession.
We wish to note that in addition to the categories of violations of
humanitarian law and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions cited in
our previous reports, we have added a new category, "Impeding Delivery
of Food and Medical Supplies to the Civilian Population."
As in our previous reports, the notations at the end of each of the
items indicate the source from which the information was drawn. Unless
otherwise indicated, the reports refer to incidents occurring in 1992.
Former Yugoslavia: Grave Breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Fifth
Submission
Willful Killing
8 Jan 93: A Bosnian Serb army soldier killed Bosnian Deputy Prime
Minister Hakija Turajlic on January 8. Turajlic was sitting inside a UN
vehicle at a UN command post near Sarajevo's airport. French General
Morillon, a UN commander in Bosnia, blamed the commander of the Bosnian
Serbs' Lukavica corps for the assassination. (The Washington Post)
Jan 93: Armed Serbian groups are killing and wounding people of all
ages every day, destroying abandoned Muslim and Croat buildings, and
looting homes and stores in Banja Luka and in the surrounding
countryside, according to witnesses. (Department of State)
14 Dec: Bosnian Muslim forces from Srebrenica killed at least 60 Serbs,
mostly civilians, in villages near the Bosnian town of Bratunac,
according to a resident of the town. As a result of the hostilities, up
to 5,000 people--primarily women, children, elderly, and wounded--have
fled across the Drina River into Ljubovija from the Bosnian villages of
Bjelovac, Sikiric, Voljevica, Jugovici, and Loznicka Rijeka.
(Department of State)
Sep: A 44-year-old Muslim witnessed Serbian soldiers beating four men
in early September outside a detention facility in Batkovic. Two were
able to enter the facility; another two young men did not have the
strength to flee the beating. Four or five soldiers continued attacking
those two until one of them, about 20 years old, died. The second bled
from the ears and was so badly injured that he could not recognize his
own father, a fellow prisoner.
Fifteen men were killed during his stay at Batkovic camp. The witness
was able to identify the most brutal of the guards at Batkovic.
(Department of State)
Sep: A 44-year-old Serbian civilian, who had been detained in Celebici
since May 30, witnessed the beating deaths of 15-16 Serbs by a Muslim
guard and the deputy camp director, Azem Delic--a "green beret" (member
of the Bosnian Muslim Paramilitary Forces in Konjic). (Department of
State)
24 Jul: A 39-year-old Bosnian Muslim from Prijedor, who was held in
Keraterm camp from May 31 until August 5, witnessed the July 24-25
massacre at Keraterm camp.
Though we have reported the massacre in previous reports, this witness
provided some additional details about the events on the evening of July
24.
The witness was in the room next door, where he could see much of what
took place because the large factory doors separating the rooms had
slats with openings between them. He said that soon after the
disturbances in the room next door had begun, he saw two trucks full of
soldiers drive into the camp.
Floodlights were turned on, and three additional machine guns were
brought from the trucks and placed next to the two that had already been
in the camp. All five machine guns were used to fire into the room. At
around six the next morning, the witness was among the prisoners chosen
to load bodies into the trucks. He said they stacked more than 100
bodies in the trucks, piling them in three layers. (Department of
State)
26 Jun: A 19-year-old Serbian civilian from Visoko witnessed the
beating death of Milivoje Samardzic when Muslims arrested him and
brought him to Visoko camp. He identified those responsible for the
death. (Department of State)
20 Jun: A 27-year-old Serbian civilian from Okolisce, a village near
Visoko, witnessed the killing of six unarmed Serb civilians by a Bosnian
Territorial Defense soldier on June 20 in Okolisce. He witnessed these
shootings from his neighbor's house, and stated that among the victims
were the wife and son of a Serb neighbor. During this attack, a Muslim
neighbor saved the life of the witness.
Later on June 20, this man witnessed the beating death of Bosko Rakovic
at Visoko camp by a Muslim guard whom he identified. (Department of
State)
13 Jun: A 24-year-old Serbian civilian from Visoko was arrested with
his father and two brothers by Bosnian Muslim Territorial Defense Forces
on June 13. He witnessed the beating death of Slobodan Gogic on that
day.
Pointing to a wound on his elbow as evidence of his own torture, the
witness identified those who had beaten himself, Gogic, and other
prisoners. (Department of State)
Torture of Prisoners
May-Oct: A 33-year-old Muslim doctor from Prijedor, who had been
interned in Trnopolje camp from May 25 until his release to the Karlovac
transit center for ex-detainees on October 1, described the operation of
a medical clinic in Trnopolje camp--the only reported clinic in any of
the camps in the Prijedor area.
Trnopolje is a small village within the municipality of Kozarac, about
6 kilometers away. It lies on the railroad track between Prijedor and
Omarska. Most maps identify it as "Kozarac Station." Trains came often
through Trnopolje traveling to Banja Luka. Women, children, boys under
16, men over 65, and the very sick were loaded on through trains; able-
bodied men remained in Trnopolje.
The witness said that Serbian soldiers wandered through Trnopolje camp
nightly, brutally beating the male prisoners and randomly raping female
prisoners. They did this with the knowledge and permission of camp
guards stationed at several locations in Trnopolje.
The witness examined some of the raped women but was not allowed to
indicate on any documents that they had been raped. The doctors kept a
log of patients for a few weeks, until they were stopped by the Serbs.
The doctors were not allowed to indicate in the log that patients had
been beaten or raped, but the witness and others used a code to indicate
who had been raped and beaten. The witness smuggled these logs out of
the camp and turned them over to the Muslim Club of Kozarac in Zagreb.
Several times the employees of the clinic came under suspicion, and
their lives were threatened. One of the female aides was a Serb, and
she was repeatedly interrogated and told to stop working at the clinic,
but she stayed. The witness believes the presence of this Serb saved
the lives of the other staff many times. (Department of State)
May-Oct: Serbian paramilitary police picked up a 44-year-old Muslim on
May 14 and drove him to a kindergarten on the western side of Zvornik.
There one member of the paramilitary beat him with a stick for 1 hour,
while another aimed his pistol at him, and a third went through
documents. The witness said the three were Serbs from Serbia, not
Bosnia. They wore white belts and camouflage fatigues.
The witness and another captive were driven about 5 minutes to a former
textile plant called "Alhos." The facility was occupied by many Serb
soldiers, but he and the other Muslim appeared to be the only prisoners
at that time.
They were kept for several days in a small room, which was stained with
what they assumed was the blood of earlier prisoners. They were
generally left alone until May 16, when from 8 pm until 4 am the
following morning, they underwent the most severe and intensive beating
during 4 months of captivity. Three Serbs carried out the beatings, two
of whom he recognized from the area around Svornik.
The two men were forced to stand against the wall and sing Serbian
nationalist songs. Unfamiliar with the lyrics, the two Muslims were
beaten by the soldiers with fists, boots, and rifles. On the verge of
unconsciousness, the witness was forced to clean his own blood from the
floor and walls around him. Upon completion of this "task," the beating
was resumed.
During the course of the beatings, both of his cheek bones were smashed
and the entire bone structure enclosing his upper teeth was loosened so
much that his teeth protruded from his mouth. His release from the
Alhos textile plant on May 20 was arranged by a sympathetic Serb
soldier.
His next place of detention was the Zvornik court house, where guards
did not molest the prisoners, but every day several Serb soldiers from
outside the facility were allowed in to beat a few of the prisoners at
random. According to the routine, the prisoners had to stand when these
uniformed outsiders entered the room. Victims were selected quickly,
then punched and kicked, frequently in the kidneys-- sometimes until
they lost consciousness.
On June 4, the prisoners at the court house were moved to a neighboring
house and joined by another 120 Muslim detainees from a detention
facility at the Celopek cultural center. Here, too, the daily beatings
continued. During the approximately 6 weeks at that house, men from the
Seselj unit carved crosses into the foreheads of 10 Muslim men. Another
group of Bosnian Serb "police" also specialized in tightening wires
around victims' necks.
On July 15, most of the prisoners were bused to a detention facility in
Batkovic. As soon as they arrived, the witness and others were beaten
with sticks. The beatings were a regular part of life at the Batkovic
facility. The witness was released from Serb detention on October 1 as
part of a prisoner exchange. (Department of State)
Aug: A 40-year-old woman described how followers of Serbian leader
Milan Martic selected women from her city and put hundreds of them in a
school in Doboj.
In front of a few hundred prisoners they raped and tortured women and
girls for days. It was unbearable to watch girls being raped in front
of their fathers.
I was raped and tortured too, because they knew that I am a wife of a
leader of the Muslim party. In August, some prisoners were exchanged,
including me and my sons. Many women and girls who were pregnant
remained in the camp. They were transferred to a hospital and fed twice
a day because, as the Chetniks said, they had to bear their offspring.
(The New York Times)
May-Aug: A 39-year-old Bosnian Muslim from Prijedor was held in
Keraterm camp from May 31 until August 5. Upon his arrival at Keraterm,
one guard--whom he identified--used a knife to saw off the witness's
left index finger at the first knuckle and chopped off the tip of his
left ring finger.
During his detention, the witness saw four guards cut another prisoner
across the face and torso with a knife. One of the guards cut off the
bottom half of the man's left ear. After the beating, they left him in
the room without any medical care. The man survived his injuries, but,
after a few days his wounds became infected, and the witness said he
could see maggots moving around inside the open wounds. The witness
believes the man remains in Prijedor.
The witness described another form of cruelty he witnessed at Keraterm.
The Serbian guards gathered two-liter glass bottles from a nearby
bottling plant. A bottle would be placed on the ground and a prisoner,
trousers and underwear pulled down, would be forced to sit upon it. The
guards would then push down on the prisoner's shoulders until the man's
buttocks touched the ground, forcing the bottle all the way up the man's
anus. Of the guards he said: "Whatever they imagined, they tried; if
they liked the effect, they would do it to other prisoners."
(Department of State)
May-Aug: A 36-year-old Serbian medical doctor was arrested on May 5 by
Paraga's Black Shirts (HOS) in Capljina. She was taken to Dretelj, a
fuel storage garrison transformed into a detention facility for 64
female and 100 male detainees, where she witnessed torture and could
identify some of the perpetrators.
All men were mercilessly beaten at arrival and during all
interrogations. They were hit with hands, feet, night sticks, two-by-
fours, and rifle butts. They were slashed with knives and degraded in
every conceivable manner.
(An) owner of several catering establishments, heavily over-weight, was
supposed to be transferred to another prison but was not because he
literally could not be moved: he was so badly beaten.
(Another) received about 50 blows to his head, which was badly gashed.
Female fighters assisted in the beating by kicking him.
During interrogation . . . prisoners would be slapped, the tips of their
fingers would be cut off, their fingers would be crushed.
Needles were driven under my nails, I was cut with a 'kama' over the
face and breasts. The treatment of women was in no way less inhuman
than that of men. On the contrary, several women were raped, even some
very old ones.
(Archmandrite Simeon Biberdzic, Monastery of Ostrog)
18 Jun: A 42-year-old Muslim from Kevljani was interned at Omarska camp
from May 27 until August 28. On June 18 or 19, he was called out of
Building 11 and taken to Building 10, to a room with four soldiers.
The soldiers made the witness undress to his underwear and lie down on
his stomach on the tile floor. One guard took an iron chair, put it on
his back, and sat down. Another guard took a large caliber automatic
rifle and beat him on his spine with the butt of the rifle, pounding
each vertebrae twice. A third guard continually kicked him along his
legs and groin. The other guard pounded his rib cage continuously,
which resulted in the witness sustaining four broken ribs.
The witness lost consciousness, but when he awoke, the four guards were
standing around him, and began to beat him again, on his legs,
shoulders, and head. One guard took a police baton, straddled the
witness' back, and beat his back and ribs continuously. He felt the
pain of only the first 10 blows, then felt no more. Another guard
pulled out a knife and said he would "circumcize" him. The guard then
cut his knee cap, but the witness said he did not even feel the knife as
he watched blood pour out of his leg. (Department of State)
Jun: A 22-year-old Serbian civilian from Drivusa was shot three times
in his left arm when Bosnian Government Forces captured Serb positions
in Zenica in June. He was beaten in Zenica camp for the first 10 days
of his capture and still bore a scar on his leg where it had been cut
"just for being a Serb." He witnessed the case of one elderly man who
had stepped on a mine but received no medical treatment, and who was
removed from the camp immediately before a visit by UN Human Rights
Commission Special Rapporteur Tadeusz Mazowiecki. This inmate was
returned after Mazowiecki's departure and died a few days later. Food
and tea often were contaminated with soap. (Department of State)
Abuse of Civilians in Detention Centers
1992: A representative of the Zenica Center for the Investigation of
War Crimes claimed the center had interviewed witnesses of rape and
violence who described the rape of 30,000 women in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(Department of State)
Aug: A 12-year-old girl from Jelec was raped by several Serbian
soldiers over nine nights at the Partizan Hall detention center in Foca.
On one occasion, a Serbian soldier raped the girl and her mother.
A 20-year-old woman, who had been raped by a Serb policeman, said that
some 100 "young Muslim woman and girls were raped" in Miljevina, an
eastern Bosnian town described as a possible "rape camp." (Newsweek)
27 Jul: A 29-year-old Serbian civilian from Srebrenik was taken to
Zenica camp on July 27 by Bosnian Government forces. He was beaten
continuously--every 10 minutes for 96 hours after his arrival--with
ropes and sticks. He showed evidence of beatings, particularly on his
head. He also reported deliberate contamination of food. (Department
of State)
Impeding Delivery of Food and Medical Supplies to the Civilian
Population
10 Jan 93: Bosnian Serb forces fired on British troops escorting a UN
aid convoy on January 10 near the town of Kladanj. (Reuters)
6 Jan 93: Bosnian Serb forces stopped UN attempts to repair the power
grid in Sarajevo on January 6 and prevented a load of firewood from
entering Sarajevo. (Department of State)
Dec: Bosnian Serbs in December continued to obstruct UNHCR convoys to
eastern Bosnia, to shell the Mostar Road, and to endanger UNHCR
personnel in Sarajevo via snipers and mortar attacks. The Bosnian Serbs
also impeded deliveries to Bihac and the oversight of relief in Banja
Luka.
Bosnian Croats interfered with UNHCR convoys on the Mostar-Sarajevo
Road: At first the Bosnian Croats told UNHCR that the road was unsafe
and could not be used. When UNHCR insisted that they would deal with
the risk of Serb shelling, they were allowed to proceed, but have since
been subject to frequent checkpoints, diversions to difficult back
roads, insults at checkpoints, and shooting in the air.
Bosnian Muslims frequently have shot at UNHCR vehicles and personnel and
harassed UNHCR personnel at Muslim-manned barricades.
A major impediment to humanitarian shipments to Bosnian Government-
controlled areas in December was the military activity initiated by
Muslim forces in the Bratunac area, which halted relief supplies for
Srebrenica, and in the Rogatica area, which blocked a convoy destined
for Gorazde.
Serbian guards outside Banja Luka continued to harass relief workers,
waving around rifles and pistols, and prohibited them from distributing
food. (Department of State)
12 Dec: Serbian gunmen on December 12 stopped a Belgrade-to-Sarajevo
humanitarian aid convoy at Han Pijesak and threatened to kill the relief
workers. (Paris AFP)
1 Dec: Small arms fire pierced the stabilizer of a US C-130 during an
approach into Sarajevo airport on December 1, which resulted in the
temporary suspension of the UNHCR airlift. At least five planes
participating in the humanitarian airlift have been hit by small arms
fire since November 4. (Department of State)
Deliberate Attacks on Non-Combatants
16 Dec: A gunman shot a French soldier with UN forces in Bosnia-
Herzegovina on December 16 while he was on guard at Sarajevo airport.
(Paris AFP)
While traveling to Sarajevo in an armored and marked UN vehicle, Hans
Stercken, Bundestag deputy and chairman of the [German] Foreign Affairs
Committee, and a German embassy staff member were attacked. The
vehicle, which was driven by an Egyptian crew, was hit by several shots.
Stercken said the UN "could not have expressed more clearly" the
identity of the vehicle; it was painted white and carried a UN sign.
(Hamburg DPA)
6 Dec: A UNHCR representative's car in Prijedor was hit four times by
bullets on December 6. (Department of State)
5 Dec: A mortar round that hit Sarajevo's airport terminal on December
5 wounded two Portuguese police attached to the UN peace-keeping
mission. The shelling of the airport continued throughout the day.
(Reuters)
4 Dec: During a battle for Otes during the first week of December, two
UN planes were shot at, the UN headquarters in Sarajevo was shelled, and
the radar at the airport, southwest of the capital, was destroyed by
artillery fire. (Paris AFP)
Wanton Devastation and Destruction of Property
27 May: A 42-year-old Muslim described the Serbian attack on Kevljani
on May 26. The villagers fled to the woods, but after spending the
night under heavy shelling, many women wanted to surrender. The witness
and an imam [a Muslim cleric] led a group of women and children under a
white flag to the school to surrender.
A Serbian officer nicknamed Cigo, who was the head of the tank regiment
that attacked Kevljani, told the group [that] the whole village had 2
hours to surrender.
The witness said [that] he surrendered to Cigo all the weapons the group
had in hopes that the village would be spared. The Serbian army,
however, burned most houses to the ground. They sent all Muslims and
Croatians in buses to Prijedor. (Department of State)
Jun: The Orthodox Bishop of Herzegovina testified publicly on September
28 that the regular army of the Republic of Croatia from the coast and
Croatian armed forces from western Herzegovina, from the beginning of
June, had destroyed the following property in his diocese:
-- The Orthodox cathedral and Episcopal headquarters in Mostar, on June
15 and 16;
-- Churches in Bjelo Polje, Bobani plateau, Capljina, Dubrovnik, Duvno,
Gabela, Metkovic, Stolac, Zacula, and Zalanik;
-- The Serbian villages of Brdjani, Zukici, Djepi (or Cepi), Blace,
Vrdolje, Zagorice, Zivanje, Ljuta, Ovcari, Ribari, Sitnik, Donje Selo,
Cerici, Bjelovcani, Celebici, Pokojiste, Obri, Nevizdraci, Idbor,
Ostrozac, Dobrigosce, Paprasko, Repovac, Shunje, Hondici, Gnojnica,
Buna, Hodbina, and Pijesci;
-- The 15th century Byzantine-style monastery at Zavala, the 16th
century Byzantine-style monastery at Zitomislic, and the Serbian
villages of Tasovcic, Klepci, and Prebilovci on the east bank of the
Neretva River--where, on June 7 and 8, the church with the bones of
almost 2,000 Serbian people killed between 1941 and 1945 was burned down
and plowed into the ground. (Orthodox Bishop of Herzegovina)
Other, Including Mass Forcible Expulsion and Deportation of Civilians
12 Jan 93: As many as 35,000 men, women, and children risk death by
illness and starvation in Zepa. Bosnian Serbs refuse to permit food,
medicines, and other supplies into the town. To this date, they are not
allowing any UN humanitarian aid convoys into Zepa. (Department of
State)
5 Jan 93: A social worker in a Nedzarici nursing home, located in a
Serb-held section of Sarajevo, said that 10 of his patients had died in
the past 36 hours, and that 26 residents of the home had died in the
past 2 weeks due to lack of heating. He also said that snipers or
direct hits on the building had caused the death of 20 to 25 residents
since April 1992.
According to a UNHCR official, the nursing home was without water,
electricity, or heating. Most utility services in Sarajevo
(electricity, natural gas, and water) are under Serbian control. (The
Washington Post/API/Department of State)
Dec: Serbian "police" in UNPA Sector East during the first 2 weeks of
December expelled 65 non-Serbs from Baranja, mostly from Darda, Bilje,
and Knezevi Vinogradi. Another 24 families were under heavy Serbian
"police" pressure to leave Knezevi Vinogradi. (Department of State)
5 Dec: A Muslim man, who reported that only 3,000 Muslims remained in
Sanski Most where 15,000 had lived, described recent attacks by armed
Serbs:
They robbed us. They took the cars, the bicycles. The police now drive
my personal car. They said if we did not give the cars, they would take
us to the camps.
The man said that Serb militia forces continued to shell villages
surrounding Sanski Most every night. (The Washington Post)
Dec: Members of the UNPROFOR [UN Protection Force for Yugoslavia]
civil police escorted to Zadar the last six Croats from Zemunik Gornji,
four elderly women and two older men. They said they had been living in
a virtual prison and fled to save their lives. All Croatian homes in
the area have been destroyed, except for two. (Department of State)
25 May: A 33-year-old Muslim from Prijedor watched Serbian forces
bringing in heavy tanks and cannons to Kozarac on May 25. Many
villagers escaped to a nearby house in the woods, where they hid in a
basement shelter. At noon, those in hiding organized the women,
children, and wounded in groups of 30, bearing white flags, to surrender
to the Serbs. The Serbian army fired on some of the groups attempting
to surrender.
The witness watched soldiers loot and burn houses, cars, and whatever
else they found. He saw Serbian tanks fire on private homes. The men
eventually were separated from the women and children and taken to
Trnopolje. (Department of State) (###)
END OF DISPATCH VOL 4, NO 6
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