NATO Discusses Follow-on Force for Bosnia

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

09.29.1996

Courtesy Story

Defense.gov         

NATO officials are tasking military planners to look at possible follow-on missions for Bosnia, according to NATO Secretary General Javier Solana.

"The international community should not abandon Bosnia," Solana said. In return, Bosnia must not abandon the international community and must comply with the Dayton accord, he said.

NATO defense ministers discussed the alliance's future role in Bosnia during the first day of meetings here, Sept. 24. Although they made no decisions during the informal sessions, Solana said, they reached consensus on a number of ideas.

All agreed to maintain the current force level in Bosnia through the municipal elections set for late November. They agreed to maintain the peace implementation force's current size through Dec. 20, the date it is set to withdraw. They also agreed to develop contingency plans for possible post-IFOR operations.

Many allies strongly support a post-IFOR military mission to build on the gains of the last year, a senior DoD official said. A number of allies have said publicly and consistently they will not participate in any future operation in Bosnia unless the United States participates as well, he said.

The United States, however, will not commit until NATO clearly defines the mission, the official said.

"I want to reserve all of my judgments on what I recommend as U.S. action until I see what the mission is and what the force structure is," Defense Secretary William Perry said upon arriving in Norway. "Everything hinges on that."

The North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, will now task military authorities to look at four possible missions. Military authorities will analyze the political and military situations and determine force requirements and duration of the commitment involved in each option.

The four plans are:

Story by Linda D. Kozaryn, American Forces Press Service

• Date Taken: 09.29.1996
• Date Posted: 07.04.2025 00:43
• Story ID: 530488
• Location: WASHINGTON, US