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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Arms-Control Inspections Are Under Way In Bosnia

Associated Press

Bosnia’s formerly warring factions have begun inspecting each other’s arsenals under an arms control accord, but a U.S. plan to equip and train the Muslim-Croat federation’s army may complicate the confidencebuilding measure.

An arms embargo on small-caliber weapons and military assistance for the former Yugoslavia will be lifted March 19 under the U.S.-brokered peace accord. That will clear the way for the start of a U.S. program to build up federation forces, a move Washington says is essential for long-term stability in the Balkans.

The U.S. program was a critical element in getting Bosnian government support for the peace accord. It will be the focus of a meeting Friday in Ankara, Turkey.

“We’re not seeking an offensive military force,” said James Pardew, the U.S. State Department’s special envoy for military stabilization in the Balkans. “This program is to offset the significant and long-standing Serb military advantages,” he said at a news conference in Ankara.

The program, he says, does not violate the arms control measures set out in the peace accord, under which Bosnian Serbs will control about half the country and the Muslim-Croat federation the other half.

But some European countries object to the American program, citing fears it will trigger an East-West arms race and lead to renewed fighting.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin approved limited arms sales Tuesday to countries in the former Yugoslavia. Russia has traditionally been an ally of the Serbs.

Meanwhile, Istvan Gyarmati, a veteran arms negotiator who secured the first arms accord among Bosnia’s factions this year, told reporters in Sarajevo that the first weapons and personnel inspections began Monday and were continuing Wednesday.

Arms inspectors from European countries were joined by Serb representatives on federation territory, and by Muslim-Croat representatives for checks on Serb territory.

While acknowledging that it complicates matters, Gyarmati said he did not think the U.S. program would scuttle confidence-building efforts.

“Of course, it has a psychological effect. Whenever we meet Serbian representatives they raise this issue,” Gyarmati told reporters.

Momcilo Krajisnik, the second-ranking Bosnian Serb official, warned against any arming of the Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

“Such intentions must be eliminated if we want to preserve peace in these sensitive regions,” Krajisnik said, in comments reported Wednesday by SRNA, the Bosnian Serb news agency.

Under the arms-control accord, the Serbs, Croats and Muslims agreed to exchange information on troop and weaponry levels. They also agreed to allow verification inspections, give advance notification of military exercises and put restrictions on the reintroduction of foreign forces in Bosnia.