Karadzic says locals blocked weapons withdrawal

September 6, 1995

From International Correspondent Peter Arnett

[Karadjic] PALE, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- The Bosnian Serb army willingly began its heavy weapons withdrawal from Sarajevo earlier this week as demanded by NATO and the United Nations, but suspended it at the request of local people, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told CNN Wednesday.

The Serb soldiers fighting there were drawn from the local population, Karadzic said, and were unwilling to risk being left defenseless against the Bosnian government forces after the weapons were taken out.

Karadzic called NATO's plan to renew bombing "barbaric and unnecessary." "Finally we have realized that the NATO would like to make us so weak that Muslims could secure the city of Sarajevo ... but we can't leave the city of Sarajevo, which was once entirely Serbian," he said.

Karadzic acknowledged the bombing of civilian areas and military targets is considerable, but said the Bosnian Serbs are willing to take more punishment if the United Nations and NATO are unwilling to accept their proposals for an end to the bombing.

"Sarajevo is not blocked any longer," he said. "We have allowed the United Nations to open roads and they couldn't do it without our own permission. Then, we are ready to open roads to Sarajevo, and then we are ready to normalize utilities -- water, electricity and gas -- and to discuss the opening of Sarajevo airport for the humanitarian flights." He said that for these reasons, NATO should stop the bombardments. (111k aiff sound)

Karadzic denied that Serb military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic was acting independently of the government and said he has patched up the differences with Mladic.

"I am in charge and all our civilian authorities are in charge, and my relation with General Mladic has improved and of course General Mladic sometimes looks defiant, but he is not defiant -- only he has to be concerned about our safety," said Karadzic. "Everything goes really well, all of my orders are carried out, and even (my) personal relationship with General Mladic has improved, so there is no threat that there will be disarray in the Serbian republic."

And if the United Nations and NATO refuse to end the air strikes? Karadzic said he believes the increasingly heavy moral burden caused by the destruction of the bombings would bring an end to them.

Karadzic says locals blocked weapons withdrawal

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