RI to send envoy to Bosnia

RI to send envoy to Bosnia

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto is dispatching senior
diplomat Nana Sutresna to war-torn Bosnia Herzegovina in an
attempt to ease the heightened crisis of the past two weeks.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told journalists yesterday
that the President, as chairman of the 111-nation Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM), is extremely concerned over recent developments
and has instructed Nana to contact the warring factions.

The instructions were given during a meeting between Nana,
Moerdiono and President Soeharto at the Bina Graha Palace
yesterday afternoon.

"I have been instructed to get in touch with the sides
involved in the conflict as soon as possible," said Nana, who is
also NAM's chief executive assistant.

Nana said that although the mission was one that would
normally require a great deal of preparation, the severity of the
situation dictated prompt action.

Moerdiono acknowledged that a lasting solution to the conflict
would be hard to come by.

"Because the situation is so complex, finding a solution to
the conflict there will not be easy. We realize that," he said.

President Soeharto made a brief visit to Sarajevo and Zagreb
in March to try to initiate a new peace process involving two
separate conferences; the first involving solely the warring
factions, and the second involving a number of countries.

The President declared Indonesia's willingness to play the
role of facilitator.

Nana said yesterday that, because of the complexity of the
crisis, President Soeharto had said it was necessary to find a
comprehensive, rather than merely partial, settlement to the
conflict. (mds)