BOSNIA: SACKED BOSNIAN SERB MILITARY LEADERS ATTACK AUTHORITIES

Описание: (15 Nov 1996) Serbo-Croat/Nat

Sacked Bosnian Serb military leaders have accused civilian authorities of conducting a political purge of the army.

Indicted war criminal General Ratko Mladic has refused to step down after he and his entire general staff were sacked last weekend by the newly elected president of the Bosnian Serb sub-estate, Biljana Plavsic.

Men loyal to Mladic have thrown up checkpoints around his isolated headquarters at Han Pijesak near Pale in eastern Bosnia.

This is Han Pijesak, 50 kilometres (30 miles) Northeast of Sarajevo, and stronghold of recalcitrant Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who has refused to step down.

On Thursday, men loyal to Mladic set up checkpoints near his isolated compound.

They reportedly detained about 30 people in what was the latest development in the confrontation between Bosnian Serb military and civilian authorities.

Newly elected Bosnian Serb president, Biljana Plavsic, sacked Mladic and his entire general staff last weekend, citing the international opposition to the war crimes suspect.

The Mladic has accused civilian leaders of conducting a political purge of the army.

He has been replaced by General Pero Colic, a virtual unknown.

In Pale, IFOR officials met the newly appointed Bosnian Serb military leaders.

They wanted to know who was in charge of the Bosnian Serb army, and assurance that they would comply with the Dayton agreement.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We discussed a range of issues concerning the implementation of the Dayton agreement and I've had a satisfactory meeting, thank you very much."
SUPER CAPTION: IFOR commander Charles Weede

SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"Both of us have agreed that we are going to co-operate continually. We are going to discuss the military aspects in the implementation of the (Dayton) agreement and a joined military commission will be working together from now on to solve these questions. We discussed questions which are very hot issues now in Republika Srpska and these issues are related to events that took place in the zones of separation. We have got some information which will be very helpful in the future solution of this problem and that will help us to co-operate even further in the future."
SUPER CAPTION: New deputy Serb commander Vinko Pandurevic

But the dispute between military and civilian leaders in the Republika Srpska appears to be no closer to a solution.

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