7/24/95:
Ron Allen reports on the arrival of the UN Rapid Reaction Force on Mount Igman overlooking Sarajevo, with a mission to protect the UNPROFOR trying to deliver humanitarian aid. Despite the incessant Serb shelling of Sarajevo—more than a 100 people were killed and 700 injured in the past three weeks—the UN Rapid Reaction Force will not retaliate against the Serbs for attacks against civilians. Colonel Dick Applegate, UN British forces, and Lt. Col. Chris Vernon, UN Spokesman, explain the Reaction Force mission and its limitations. Haris Silajdzic, the Bosnian Prime Minister, states that the Serbs will continue killing because the West allows them to do so. Footage of UN Reaction Forces, rubble remains of a house, infrared images of Sarajevo being shelled at night, dead civilians, a Sarajevo family mourning over the loss of a three-month old baby and other relatives, and UN soldiers patrolling Sarajevo, is included.
David Ensor reports on the likelihood of the allied intervention to curb the Serb aggression in the so-called safe haven. The Western allies issued an ultimatum to Ratko Mladic, threatening to bomb his forces if they attack Gorazde, one of the safe haven areas. The fate of the remaining five of the so-called safe havens was not discussed despite the increased combat activity there: Bihac is under heavy attack by both Serb and Muslim forces, the shelling of Sarajevo has increased, and the Serbs burned two Muslim villages in Zepa. Comments by Bob Dole, Senate Majority Leader; Mike McCurry, White House Spokesman; and William Perry, U.S. Secretary of Defense, are included. Perry indicated that the existing UN and NATO resolution gives NATO the authority to attack Serb heavy weapons in safe haven zones. Footage included: Serb General Ratko Mladic surrounded by UN soldiers and refugee women, men, and children (Serbian TV footage taken shortly after the fall of Srebrenica); and NATO bombers, UNHCR truck and refugees in Zepa. Tadeusz Mazowiecky, the former Prime Minister of Poland and UN's Envoy for Human Rights, conducted an investigation into how the Bosnian Serb forces treated the people of Srebrenica after they conquered the town. Mazowiecky declared that there had been extremely serious violations of human rights on an enormous scale.
7/25/95:
Ron Allen reports on the aftermath of the fall of Zepa, one of the UN-declared safe havens, to Bosnian Serb forces. The Serbs allowed the first refugees to leave from Zepa on a bus convoy. Even though the Bosnian Serb General Mladic has been boasting for more than a week that the Bosnian government forces have retreated, the UN first announced today that Zepa fell under Serb control. The Bosnian Serbs have said that women and children can go free, but men of fighting age must be interrogated about war crimes. Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic states that any evacuation of refugees done without the presence of UNPROFOR means certain death for the refugees. Aid workers are shown getting ready for the arrival of Zepa refugees. A doctor in Sarajevo, Bacir Helic, anxiously awaits buses from Zepa, expecting his mother and other relatives to arrive with the refugees. Statements by Lt. Col. Chris Vernon, UN Spokesman, and Tamsin Leakey, member of the Overseas Development Fund, are included. Footage included: buses packed with refugees leaving Zepa, the following is from the Bosnian Serb TV: Mladic toasting in Zepa, Bosnian Serb forces overseeing the shelling of Zepa; a UN tank driving through Sarajevo, Zoran Petrovic-Pirocanac footage taken after the fall of Srebrenica, aid workers packing bags of food.
John Cochran reports on the U.S. Senate debate to lift the arms embargo against the Bosnian government. Provisions for lifting the embargo are outlined by its supporters. Europeans allies say that if the embargo is lifted, then they will withdraw their troops from Bosnia. Statements by Bob Dole, the Senate Majority Leader; Warren Christopher, Secretary of State; Newt Gingrich, House Speaker; and Herve de Charrette, the French Foreign Affairs Minister, are included. Footage of UN soldiers in Bosnia is included.
Peter Jennings reports on the indictment of the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic by the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. Christian Chartier, War Crimes Tribunal Spokesman, highlights the charges against the two leaders: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and violations of Geneva Conventions. Footage includes images of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic together, a sniper shooting from within an apartment in Sarajevo, Mladic, and Milan Gvero playing chess. SAP footage of a group of civilians under sniper fire in Sarajevo; a woman crying in a hospital; Karadzic, Mladic, and Yasushi Akashitogether; Omarska Camp prisoners; and Karadzic.
7/26/95:
John Cochran reports on the Senate's historical decision to order the President to lift the arms embargo. Senators from both sides of the argument are presented. European allies have threatened to remove their troops if the embargo is lifted. The arms embargo bill requires the President to lift the embargo twelve weeks after the Bosnians ask the UN peacekeepers to withdraw. Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic stated that had the embargo been lifted two years ago, there would have been peace in Bosnian a long time ago. Brief statements are made by Senator Frank Lauthnberg, Senator Dirk Kempthorne, Senator Newt Gingrich, Senator Bob Kerney, Senator Sam Nunn, Senator Bob Dole, and President Clinton. Footage of UN peacekeepers in Bosnia is included.
Ron Allen reports on the arrival of the first refugees from Zepa, some of them wounded from the Bosnian Serb offensive, and some of them feeling resentment for not having been helped. Several of the refugees describe their flight. An unidentified elderly woman states that Bosnian Serbs had entirely surrounded Zepa. Benka Mujkic, a 73-year-old woman, lost part of her leg to a grenade that fell near her home. She states that grenades were falling like rain. Fourteen-year-old Edan Pojdzic suffered a broken leg after hiding in the woods with his family for fourteen days. The family ended up being separated during the confusion of the offensive. The UN commander in Bosnia has been negotiating with Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic to guarantee the safe passage of the refugees. So far, the UN has managed to obtain permission to monitor the forced removal of the refugees from Zepa. Officials stated that the exodus from Zepa was much less brutal that what the refugees from Srebrenica had to endure. As in Srebrenica, the whereabouts of the men are not known. A brief statement by UN Refugee Official Kris Janowski is included. Footage: Zepa refugees in Sarajevo hospital, Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic and UN Commander in Bosnia negotiating, Zepa refugees walking through a town with Mladic and UN soldiers present, a man and an elderly woman refugee getting off a bus in Sarajevo, an elderly woman refugee took shaken to get off a bus.
Peter Jennings reports on the Senate's vote to unilaterally lift the arms embargo against Bosnia, and the support for Bosnian Muslims which has been growing in the Muslim world. Prayers, telethons, demonstrations against the Serbs are being organized throughout the Muslim world. Professor Mary-Jane Deeb from the American University explains that many Muslims believe the West does not care about Bosnian Muslims. Their argument is that had the Bosnian Muslims been Christians or Jews, the whole world would have come to their rescue. It is unclear how many arms were supplied from Muslim countries to the Bosnian Muslim-led government, but some weapons have been supplied most likely. Visits by high-profile Muslim leaders, such as King Hassan of Jordan, shows that there is growing solidarity among Muslims around the world. What many analysts find ominous is that among Bosnian Muslim men and boys there is a growing antagonism towards Europeans and Americans. Footage includes a prayer session in Cairo, a telethon on Jordanian television, King Hassan of Jordan giving a personal donation to the telethon, street demonstrations in the Sudan, Bosnian Muslim soldiers, and Bosnian Muslim refugee camps.