BOSNIA: KISELJAK; BHC HQ GENERAL (B ROLL); INTERVIEW WITH BRIGADIER GENERAL CORDY-SIMPSON (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title]
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- Title: BOSNIA: KISELJAK; BHC HQ GENERAL (B ROLL); INTERVIEW WITH BRIGADIER GENERAL CORDY-SIMPSON (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title]
- Film Number: UNT 29 X
- Other titles: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
- Summary: UNTV visit UNPROFOR's Bosnia High Command HQ. Included an extensive interview with Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson, UNPROFOR's Chief of Staff.
- Description: Text: ‘From the Film and Video Archive of the Imperial War Museum’. Row of UN trucks obscured by trees. Reflection of the trucks seen in muddy puddles. UN Vehicles parked in the mud. Soldiers walk through the puddles, past the trucks. Close up on a mud -splattered UN sign on the door of one of the trucks. Camera pans to tyre tracks in the mud. Further shots of UN vehicles parked on muddy ground. Shot of electricity pylons and houses beside the compound. Building supplies sit in piles next to the UN trucks. Large block of flats overlooks the car park. Shot of UN flag on the front of a truck. An UNPROFOR soldier unloads boxes from the side of the truck. These boxes are full of paperwork. The soldier checks off the delivery on a chart. Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson dismisses a meeting of UN personnel. The men talk to one another and file out of the room. Interview with Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson. He explains that the force is being deployed to protect UNHCR convoys. It has been put together at short notice and at no cost to the UN. The national governments behind CANBAT, FREBAT, BRITBAT and SPABAT are paying for the mission. Uniquely, these contributing nations are funding the whole operation. He says that on the 23rd of September he was informed of the operation, the HQ was up and running by the 29th of October and the forces deployed by mid November. FREBAT and BRITBAT are where they are meant to be and SPABAT are operating in the Mostar area but are having trouble locating a good HQ. He says that the BH command is at full strength now. It consists of four major Battalions and a HQ split between here and Sarajevo, where General Morillon is engaged with the more political aspects of the operation. He says that 7,000 troops have been deployed on the ground and they are supported by about 100 staff. Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson says that CANBAT have had trouble deploying as they, like UNPROFOR more generally, face an element of suspicion. He explains that the UN are regarded on the Serbian side as superfluous and UNPROFOR are in the process of convincing them of the necessity of UNPROFOR escorts for aid convoys. He says that there are six convoys everyday in a Battalion’s area on top of one or two major deliveries a day that top up central distribution centres. Their aim is to move 1.5 thousand metric tonnes of aid every day. He says that so far it has been hard to reach this target because of local interference, poor roads, and insufficient transport units. He adds that one of the major roads coming from Croatia to Banja Luka has not yet been opened and the Mostar road is blocked at the top end by a major mine field. So far they have been unable to persuade the warring parties to agree to lift the mine field. He say that one of the major problems facing UNPROFOR is being misunderstood. They have to constantly explain that their role is to bring aid to all sides not just one. He says that the level of hatred has shocked him. In this region it seems people will do anything they can to prevent the other side from receiving aid. Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson chairs a mixed military working group and he says that although there have been some successes, progress is slow. He wants to keep the different sides talking as this is one step in the right direction and he also wants them to nominate permanent representatives to go into permanent discussions. These sessions would then work to try and demilitarise Sarajevo, agree local ceasefires and humanitarian corridors through the territories. He says that it is ‘rather like playing military chess with a knight - two paces forward and one back’. He says that the meeting last week did produce results. They agreed that they would bring together a sub working group to begin a permanent session but have yet to work out where these can be held and they have agreed definitions to be understood by all sides - the definition of every word in the agreement has to be argued at length. It is impossible to agree on definitions if these words have political implications. He insists that the international community have got to find a political settlement that each side can use as a basis for discussion. UNPROFOR can deliver aid and perhaps calm local areas but it can do no more than that. He says ‘we’re not going to save everyone in this country but we will do everything we can with the means we’ve got’ to save lives this winter. Brigadier General Cordy-Simpson arrives at a meeting with UN officers. One officer used the wall map to update the group on troop movements. In the Bihać pocket where FREBAT are in place, two Serb battalions have moved into area and BiH units are building up the town’s defences. However there has been no major change in the situation there. Around Travnik, HVO and Muslim forces are both undertaking defensive preparations. In Sarajevo, shelling continues to be in the vicinity of the airport, where there was troop movement last week, rather than the Old town. There are indicators of attack in Bosnia but it is not a significant attack and it could be disinformation campaign to scare the civilian population out of Bihać. Footage of the HQ office. Maps up on the wall. An officer works on a laptop computer. Two French officers consult the map of the Croatian and Bosnian border and the flight corridors in the area. Canadian officers in discussion. General office shots.
- Alternative Title: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
- Colour: English (Tape Code A)
- Digitised:
- Object_Number: UNT 29 X
- Sound: Croatian (Tape Code C)
- Access Conditions:
- Featured Period: 1990-2000
- Production Date: 1992-11-29
- Production Country: UN
- Production Details: UNTV ()
- Personalities, Units and Organisations: Cordy-Simpson, Roderick Alexander (person)
- Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina (geography)
- Physical Characteristics:
- Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 30
- HD Media:
- Link to IWM Collections page:
- Related IWM Collections Objects: