UNPROFOR IN CRISIS [Main Title]
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- Title: UNPROFOR IN CRISIS [Main Title]
- Film Number: UNT 522
- Other titles: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
- Summary: Interview with Michael Williams, spokesperson for the SRSG, on the 29th of November. He discusses the Bihać crisis, the role of air strikes and the future of the UN mission in former Yugoslavia.
- Description: Michael Williams says that there has been considerable fighting in the Bihać pocket for example in the Velika Kladuša area and some fighting within the safe area but there does not appear to have been a direct Bosnian Serb assault on the town. Roy Head asks why air power was not used by UNPROFOR as a deterrent before it was too late. Williams replies that UNPROFOR did not know there would be an attack for certain and does not have a mandate to launch a pre-emptive attack. The “basic nature of the operation is as a peacekeeping force but there is no peace to keep”. Use of a NATO airstrike requires direct attacks on UNPROFOR (in this case BANBAT) or direct and sustained shelling of the civilian population. Ejup Ganić is being unfair to expect the use of airstrikes, as they carry grave risks with a high chance of collateral damage. In the case of Sarajevo and Gorazde, air strikes did work as a deterrent because Bosnian Serbs did not have missile defence systems there but in Bihać the situation is very different as both Bosnia Herzegovina Government forces and the Bosnian Serbs have these facilities, therefore the risks associated with going down that path are high. Roy Head then asks why the UN is only defining safe areas as demilitarised areas now? Williams admits that the previous policy, which allowed military bases in safe areas, undermined their legitimacy. He says that Čepa and Srebrenica are effectively demilitarised but others are not. If they were to be demilitarised though the question would become who would protect the civilian population in that area. Roy Head asks if UNPROFOR would withdraw in protest at the disregard for their safe areas. Williams says that they could advise the Secretary General that they cannot fulfil their mandate but to withdraw would be very difficult as Bosnia is largely landlocked and there are problems with both of the airports at Tuzla and Sarajevo. Finally, Roy Head says that the promises Martić made to Akashi last week have not been kept and Bihać has been attacked from an UN safe area. In these circumstances, can the Croatian government have confidence in UNPROFOR? Williams says that the Croatian government have been very patient, that they are keen to see progress and it will be the government’s decision whether UNPROFOR’S mandate will be extended later this year.
- Alternative Title: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
- Colour: Bosnian (Tape Code B)
- Digitised:
- Object_Number: UNT 522
- Sound: Croatian (Tape Code C)
- Access Conditions:
- Featured Period: 1990-2000
- Production Date: 1994-11 1994-11-30
- Production Country: UN
- Production Details: Balazova, Martina (Production individual) Head, Roy (Production individual)
- Personalities, Units and Organisations: Williams, Michael (person)
- Keywords:
- Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Bosnian (Tape Code B) Sound format: Croatian (Tape Code C) Soundtrack language: Serbian (Tape D)
- Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Running time: 9 mins 51 secs
- HD Media:
- Link to IWM Collections page:
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Related IWM Collections Objects:
UNT 523 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 36 [Main Title]) UNT 522 X (UNPROFOR IN CRISIS (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title])