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| Europe |
| Bosnia: Humanitarian convoys smuggled weapons |
| 2010-05-11 |
| [ADN Kronos] Wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, accused of genocide and war crimes, told the United Nations Yugoslav war crimes tribunal on Monday that humanitarian convoys were used to smuggle weapons to Muslims during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war. "Everything was smuggled through these convoys - weapons, military equipment, cameras, food," Karadzic said, cross-examining prosecution witness David Harland. Karadzic said Bosnian Serb forces stopped only a few convoys, but accused Muslim officials of storing away humanitarian aid and selling it at black market. Harland, who served with international peacekeepers (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia from 1993 to 1995, said Karadzic's accusations were "absolutely false.'' "The things you mention were never seen in the hands of Muslims soldiers," Harland said. "There were criminal elements among Muslim authorities, but it was Serbs who cut and reduced humanitarian aid for the suffering population," Harland said. "We knew that food was partly being diverted to black market and to the Bosnian army, but you were robbing the convoys," Harland retorted. Pressed by Karadzic, Harland conceded that 10,000 humanitarian flights landed at Sarajevo airport during the war and only few were stopped. "I think that at the beginning of the war one plane was shot down and that it was done by (Bosnian) Croats," said Harland, who is the sixth of 410 prosecution witnesses, said. Harland acknowledged that some peacekeepers were involved in black marketing food and oil from humanitarian aid, mentioning in particular the Ukrainian contingent. He conceded that weapons were being smuggled by Muslims to UN protected zones, which were supposed to be demilitarized. "Yes, there had been significant weapons shipments," he said. "UNPROFOR had banned flights over Bosnia, but it was easy for short distance helicopter flights to avoid it." Harland said. |
| Posted by:Fred |