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)