European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday april 20, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 17 u. S. Allies Harry g. Summers a Why now and not before a asked bbl radios Charlotte Smith in a Telephone interview from London after . A air Force f-16 fighting Falcon War planes struck serbian positions near the besieged town of Gorade on april 10. Her Call had come before the dust even settled on the bombing attack evidence if such is needed of the near instantaneous nature of today a news and the fact that the whole world can be direct dialled in a matter of seconds. It was also evidence that in this a new world order even our closest allies have trouble figuring out what America will do next. Only a week before Secretary of defense William Perry had seemingly ruled out any . Military intervention to save go razed from serbian attack an Extension of his remarks on March 17 that a air Power would not be useful where the principal military activity involves Small arms close combat in Urban Pentagon officials later said that air Power would have Little effect in Gorade since it did not have the same kind of fixed targets a artillery positions and the like a As did Sarajevo. He had also said that a it serves no useful purpose to threaten something that we Are not Able to enforce a a statement that sent Shock Waves through the Halls of the state department where in recent months Idle threats have been its Stock in Trade. Secretary of state Warren Christopher was Quick to soften Perry swords saying that a the United states would be disposed to join its nato colleagues in responding to a request from the . Protection Force Ungro. For for assistance. That Christopher said a is United states policy. We re prepared to respond if we have a request from the Ungro for troops asking us for close air support.�?�. A. When the . Commander in Bosnia British it. Gen. Sir Michael Rose filed just such a request after several . Observers were injured by serbian fire the m a a a it airstrikes were ordered by the United nations. Although few picked up on the fact Christophers statement and the subsequent airstrikes were not in direct contradiction of Perry a earlier comments. Responding to an attack on . Peacekeeping forces is not the same As intervening to save Gorade. It is noteworthy that the distinction was not lost on the serbs. A it is untrue that u a personnel were threatened and there was no justification for the use of nato air Power a they said. And it is essential that the United states and president Clinton in particular understands that distinction As Well. Will Bosnia turn out to be another Vietnam asked the bbl correspondent. The question had some Validity. As an anti War protester during Vietnam Clinton would seem to be especially sensitive to the mistakes of that War. But in his remarks after the bombing he seemed to be endorsing lbs a a notion that you can bomb an adversary to the negotiating table. A we Jive said we would act if we were requested to do so a he said. A we have now done so and will do it again if we Are requested. The serbs should cease their attacks on Gorade and should pull Back. The talks on cessation of hostilities in Bosnia should those sentiments were repeated on april 11 after the second such strike on serbian positions. But the threat of bombing is not liable to be any More effective in Bosnia than it was in Vietnam. A further cooperation of the Republic of Srp ska the bosnian serbian Republic with up Rotor has been brought under question a said bosnian serbian Leader Radovan Karadzic a and All contacts Between the Republic of Srp ska and up Rotor have now been one of the most persistent myths of the Vietnam War is that it was the a Christmas bombing Quot of Hanoi in Decca Ber 1972 that forced North Vietnam Back to the negotiating table and led directly to the signing of the Paris peace accords the following month. Yet it was not the bombing per be but the unexpected exercise of american will that was decisive. C Loa Angelos times Linton needs to backtrack from Force in Bosnia president Clinton after overriding the publicly stated opinions of his own Secretary of defense and top military officer sent . Air planes into action in Bosnia by the decision of a British general. How often How hard and How deep will . Planes strike again a americans May find that the answers depend not so much on their elected president and constitutional commander in chief As in the opinions of that British general and his International staff the Wisdom or rage of the bosnian serbs the political and military mane vering of the bosnian muslims and emotions and internal struggles in Russia. All this is vivid in the minds of american policy makers in Washington. They Are nervous about it. It is not a situation or a position any american president has found himself in before. But it is the inevitable result of the earlier Clinton decision to use american air Power to lift the siege of Sarajevo the bosnian capital. As predictable that made the serbs pull Back and brought about the Relief of Sarajevo and its citizens. , the Sarajevo action was popular m the United states. It saved the lives of the people of the City a without loss of american lives. ,. If the United states could have ended its involvement right there by brokering a peace everything would have been Fine a a Clintonia Triumph. But As also entirely predictable the serbs did not just lie Down or give up what they had been fighting for a Strong separate bosnian serbian Republic not a Bosnia where they would Ever find themselves a minority to a Muslim croatian majority. And As also predictable the muslims saw the . Action in Sarajevo As the Opportunity to bring More .-nato intervention against the serbs and win Back More of the Muslim villages and land seized by bosnian serbs. . Officials do not know whether it was the serbs who provoked the Battle for Gorade supposed to be a Safe City or bosnian Muslim forces bar racked in the town. Just one More predictable thing those americans who have Long lusted for Large scale bombardment of the bosnian serbs and Serbia were not satisfied with the Sarajevo a Tio Riv they saw it As the beginning of american military involvement in the War not the end. A a what was not predictable was that the political and possibly military Price of american intervention could be raised by a country Washington had forgotten had a stake of its own a Russia. Russians Swift support of serbs and the dispatch of its own troops to a said the United nations were helpful at first. But it was a Plain sign that Moscow would not surrender a pro serbian role in Bosnia a particularly on future interventions. The possibility of shooting Between the .-nato and a russian serbian Alliance or of Greece Albania and Turkey jumping in and recreating a 1914 situation 80 years later is too horrible to contemplate which is Why americans should Start contemplating. I think the Clinton team made a mistake getting the . Rosenthal United states into a situation where foreign generals and foreign governments can decide when american bombers take off. There is the american president telling us it was not really his decision. Are we hearing right a / a a / / / /. A on april 10, the United states thought it might have a Bosnia wide agreement in a few Days. Secretary of state Warren Christopher said so on to. But just before the tape was shown the word came that British it. Gen. Michael Rose,.the . Commander in Bosnia to whose Genius Washington has committed itself had asked for the strike against Gorade to protect a dozen or so . Soldiers in the town. . Officials concede that Coo donation Between Rose and the peace negotiators was a How to put it a imperfect. A but the president Christopher and National Security Council adviser Anthony Lake All Long for a cessation of hostilities throughout Bosnia. That is not Only their Job but having entered a War the american pub lie docs not want to fight if it costs anything it is now their responsibility. A peace agreement is now impossible without a real .-russian Effort no More a ooh i thought somebody told you excuses to president Boris Yeltsin the russians will have to pressure the serbs again toward peace. The United states will have to Start pressuring the muslims. The Laptop Bombardier will scream a Munich a the Clinton ians can reply by whispering the name of the City where world War i started. C new York times
