SARAJEVO (RUSHES TAPE 2): INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL MORILLON [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: SARAJEVO (RUSHES TAPE 2): INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL MORILLON [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: UNT 69 X
  • Other titles: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Interview with General Morillon and shots of the new UNPROFOR Commander General Jean Cot.
  • Description: Interview with UNPROFOR Commander, General Morillon, before his departure from Bosnia. He says that UNPROFOR has been quite successful despite being seen by some as a disappointment. He believes that they have been seen as failures by those that expected UNPROFOR to solve all of the problems here. Actually, UNPROFOR has succeeded in its primary objective, which is assisting UNHCR in delivering humanitarian aid. UNPROFOR is working in a country where between 1 million and 1.5 million displaced persons were at risk of death last winter and although they were helped by a mild winter, they nevertheless succeeded in their mission to supply aid to these people. He says that one of his greatest concerns is that successive agreements signed to establish local ceasefires have not been respected but he thinks that no more could have been done to bring peace. He says “we have not been mandated to takes sides in this conflict” and “we have not been mandated to establish the peace against the will of the population”. UNPROFOR have accomplished the mission they have been asked to do. He believes that the soldiers can be proud of the job they have helped to do. Looking ahead, General Morillon thinks that this population, including most of the soldiers, are weary of warfare and hopefully the pressure put on the leaders by the population will lead to some sort of peace otherwise, he says, next winter will be a catastrophe. He hopes that people will not continue to hurt each other. He regards the Safe Areas - in Bihać, Tuzla, Srebrenica, Žepa, Gorazde and Sarajevo - as a new mission. UNPROFOR’s job was to provide human aid and help bring about the cessation of hostilities but now UNPROFOR has a new mission to protect populations. He says that questions about the Safe Areas are for his successor to answer; “new mission, new chief”. He refuses to answer a question about splitting Bosnia into three parts. He says that this is a political question that it is not in his remit to assess. Shots of UNPROFOR soldiers carrying containers up outdoor stairs. UNPROFOR APCs and jeeps in the UNPROFOR compound. UN flag waves in the breeze. A soldier loads up empty containers. An APC leaves the compound. Another APC arrives. The new UNPRFOR Commander, General Jean Cot, and his aide go through the sand-bagged entrance to the compound. Two SPABAT officers wait inside. Two French officers walk past the camera. A group of French officers escort General Jean Cot into a meeting room. UNTV accompanies UNPROFOR soldiers riding in an APC. Shot of the Bosnian flag hanging from a public building in the capital. The entrance is sandbagged. UNPROFOR soldiers and Bosnian Government soldiers stand outside. UNPROFOR APCs roll past. People walk past the building. A car pulls up and two men climb out. More people arrive at the building. General Jean Cot leaves the building and climbs into an APC. An UNPROFOR soldier continues to stand guard in an APC. Two UNPROFOR soldiers run across a bridge. Shot focusing on the Jewish Synagogue behind the bridge. Pans to stationary tram. UNTV rides with UNPROFOR in an APC. They pass a ruined building that used to house the Sarajevo newspaper ‘Oslobođenie ‘. Shots of houses made uninhabitable by extensive war damage. Shot of apartment block with windows covered in plastic sheeting. Camera pans to entrance of UN Headquarters. Egyptian UNPROFOR officers talk to one another outside the building. An APC pulls up, General Jean Cot steps out and greets the Egyptian officers. Brief shot of a sheep nibbling the ground in front of an UNPROFOR APC. Shot of a UN flag flying above a building. General Jean Cot arrives and talks to a swarm of journalists. He says that he has been in the region for four days and he is observing and listening and that he will speak when he thinks it is useful to do so but will also choose not to speak to journalists. He says that he has learnt a little already but needs to learn more. General Jean Cot boards a plane. Shots of the plane gaining speed along the runway. Shots of the pilot, co-pilot and navigator at work.
  • Alternative Title: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: Colour
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNT 69 X
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1990-2000
  • Production Date: 1993-07-05
  • Production Country: UN
  • Production Details:
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Morillon, Philippe (person) Cot, Jean (person)
  • Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina & Sarajevo (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics:
  • Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Footage: 30
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UNT 69 X

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