Indonesia blasts UN, NATO over slow action in Bosnia
Indonesia blasts UN, NATO over slow action in Bosnia
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia attacked the United Nations and NATO
yesterday for their hesitance to take firm actions against the
Bosnian Serbs, who violated a peace accord by attacking the
Moslem enclave of Gorazde.
Indonesia, as chairman of the 110-member Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM), deeply regretted the violation and is stepping up efforts
to free six Indonesian peacekeepers currently being held hostage
by Serbian forces, Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said yesterday.
"We continue to make contact with the commander of the United
Nations Protection Force in Bosnia as well as the UN high
officials in New York. According to the reports we received the
six soldiers have been well treated," Alatas told journalists
moments after he accompanied his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammad
Sa'id Al-sahaf in a meeting with President Soeharto.
"The United Nations and NATO seemed to be reluctant," to take
action, Alatas said.
According to him, both NATO and the UN had earlier promised to
take firm measures against the Serbs and to use air raids to
protect the UN peacekeeping mission in troubled Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
Alatas said that despite the efforts, the foreign ministry had
no knowledge of current developments on the Indonesian
peacekeepers. "We hope that they will be released soon."
He added, however, that Indonesia, through its embassy in
Belgrade, had also asked the Yugoslavian government to help
settle the release of the six Indonesian troops in its talks with
both the Serbian and the Bosnian factions.
He said both the UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi and the
UNPROFOR commander, Lt. Gen. Michael Rose, were still discussing
the problems with Serbia.
Alatas did not specify the names of the six Indonesian
peacekeepers, but the Antara news agency, in its report from New
York and released on Sunday, said that five Indonesian members of
UNPROFOR -- Sugardo, Toto, Ujianto Dwi, Sumardi Didi and Didi
Mujidi -- are being held by Serbian forces. (ego)