Paris, 29th November 1993 A/WEU/DEF (93) 14
DEFENCE COMMITTEE
(Thirty-Ninth Session of the Assembly)
______
The Yugoslav conflict -
Chronology of events from
30th May 1991-8th November 1993
INFORMATION DOCUMENT
submitted by Sir Russell Johnston
Chronology
==========
1991
----
30-31st May At a preliminary stage of the Yugoslavia crisis and
still before the unilateral declarations of independence by both
Slovenia and Croatia on 25th June 1991, the EC made it known
that it was ready to help a democratised and reformed
Yugoslavia, with unchanged internal and external borders,
provided, among other things, that this state was willing to
resolve problems in a peaceful manner without the use of force.
As soon as the constitutional crisis was resolved, the EC was
prepared to start talks on Yugoslavia's associate membership of
the EC.
20th June The United States state department declared that
Belgrade had to "find a way to give vent to the national
aspirations of the various elements within Yugoslavia in a
peaceful way".
28th June After the unilateral declarations of independence
by both Slovenia and Croatia, there were several days of
military confrontation between the Yugoslav national army (JNA)
and republican forces, but the EC "troika" managed to broker a
fragile cease-fire.
3rd-4th July The Committee of Senior Officials of the CSCE,
meeting in Prague, agreed to recommend the dispatch of an EC-
based observer mission to supervise the agreed cease-fire.
5th July The EC Foreign Ministers decided to impose an arms
embargo on Yugoslavia and to freeze the EC financial aid.
8th July The United States administration, which, on 2nd
July, had made it clear that it did not support the use of force
to preserve the integrity of the Yugoslav state, while it would
accept the republic's independence if achieved peacefully,
endorsed the EC arms embargo.
29th July The EC Foreign Ministers offered to quadruple the
number of EC observers to 200 plus 400 support staff, mentioning
that these observers would go into Croatia only if their safety
was guaranteed and if all parties accepted a cease-fire.
31st July With the fighting between Serbs and Croatians
worsening in eastern Croatia, President Franjo Tudjman announced
that legislation had been prepared to offer home-rule to the
Serbian community in the self-proclaimed "Autonomous Region of
Krajina".
7th August The WEU Council convened in London to discuss a
possible monitoring role.
12th August Milosevic orchestrated a summit in Belgrade, where
it was proposed to draft a new constitution for those republics
which wished to stay in Yugoslavia as a "confederation of equal
republics and peoples".
27th August At their meeting in Brussels, EC Foreign Ministers
mentioned Serbia's responsibility for the conflict and envisaged
a monitored cease-fire, the formation of an EC arbitration
committee and an international peace conference.
2nd September A cease-fire agreement provided for the EC, CSCE,
and representatives of all parties to the conflict to monitor
the cease-fire, while extending the EC observer mission into
Croatian territory.
3rd September EC Foreign Ministers met in The Hague and decided
to hold the peace conference, earlier than proposed, on 7th
September.
Meeting in Prague on 3rd-4th September, the CSCE called for an
embargo on weapons and war equipment against all parties
involved in the conflict.
7th September The peace conference in The Hague was opened
under the chairmanship of Lord Carrington. At the same time, an
arbitration commission of eminent constitutional lawyers was
appointed.
In a declaration, it was established as a basis for negotiations
that:
- internal borders could not be changed by force;
- the rights of minorities must be guaranteed;
- full account must be taken of all legitimate concerns and
aspirations.
It was also declared that any differences which could not be
resolved through negotiation would be submitted to an
arbitration commission.
10th September Bosnia had asked the EC to send observers to its
territory. While nationalist Serbs were taking control of
Serbian areas in Bosnia, President Izetbegovic called for the
establishment of a six-mile demilitarised zone along the Una and
Savn rivers to separate the republic of Bosnia from Croatia.
11th, 12th September With the cut-off of oil supplies to Serbia by
Croatia on 7th September and heavy fighting in Croatia in the
following days, EC monitors admitted that their peace mission
had failed and warned that they would leave Yugoslavia if their
safety could not be guaranteed.
19th September Following increasing violations of Hungarian
national air space by Yugoslav military aircraft and border
incidents, the Hungarian Prime Minister offered to help the EC
monitor the borders with Yugoslavia.
Chancellor Kohl and President Mitterrand suggested sending a
peace-keeping force to Yugoslavia, which should operate in a
buffer zone, under the auspices of WEU. The United Kingdom,
however, opposed sending a peace-keeping force because it
represented a long-term commitment.
A communique after a meeting of EC Foreign Ministers and WEU
Defence Ministers stated that "no military intervention is
contemplated", but proposed that WEU should explore ways of
supporting the activities of EC monitors to make their
contribution more effective. A study by military experts was
immediately set in motion.
25th September The United Nations Security Council, convened at
the request of France, adopted Resolution 713, calling for a
complete arms embargo on Yugoslavia and the immediate cessation
of hostilities, while requesting the then Secretary-General,
Perez de Cuellar, to assist with mediation.
26th September At the fourth session of The Hague peace
conference, Lord Carrington warned that no economic aid could be
forthcoming until a long-term constitutional solution had been
found.
The conference set up three working groups to meet immediately,
chaired by the European Commission, to study:
- constitutional solutions;
- economic relations between the republics;
- the position of ethnic minorities.
Meanwhile, the EC continued to broker cease-fire agreements
which often collapsed again on the same day.
7th October Slovenia started to implement its declaration of
independence. In this framework, the JNA agreed to withdraw
from Slovenia by 25th October and to hand over military hardware
to the Slovenian authorities.
8th October Croatia severed relations with Yugoslavia, at the
same time identifying the JNA as an invading force and declaring
Yugoslav law null and void on Croatian territory.
13th October The three-month mandate for EC monitors ran out,
but was renewed indefinitely.
15th October The parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared the
republic's sovereignty.
18th October At this session of The Hague peace conference, the
EC proposed a plan for the future structure of Yugoslavia which
was loosely based on its own structure. Of the six republics
attending the conference, only Serbia rejected these proposals.
The EC proposal envisaged a free association of sovereign states
co-operating on trade, fiscal and security matters, with a
council of ministers, an executive commission and a court of
appeal. The independence of republics within existing borders
would be recognised if the republics so wished and minorities
would be given a second nationality and their own schools and
legislature.
In referendums declared legal by the Serbian government, voters
in Kosovo approved sovereignty, while those in Sandrah were in
favour of autonomy.
5th November In The Hague, the eighth session of the peace
conference on Yugoslavia took place. The peace plan proposed by
Lord Carrington in October, had been amended to allow republics
to form a common state, whose economy could be organised on non-
market lines, which the article granting autonomy to the
provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina deleted. Serbia and
Montenegro proposed an amendment to permit not only republics
but also "nations" to remain within Yugoslavia. No agreement
was reached.
8th November Meeting in Rome, the EC Council of Ministers
imposed trade sanctions on Yugoslavia and proposed a United
Nations Security Council oil embargo. Greece, which sent 20% of
its exports through Yugoslavia, would be compensated.
10th November The President of the United States declared that
it would also impose trade sanctions, and the following day, the
G-24 donor countries suspended aid to Yugoslavia.
It should be noted that on 10th November the Yugoslav collective
State Presidency had requested United Nations peace-keeping
forces to be deployed around Serb-populated regions in Croatia,
while the Croatian leadership had insisted that such peace-
keeping forces should be kept on the legal republican borders.
19th November Meeting in Bonn, WEU Foreign Ministers agreed to
allow naval ships to create "humanitarian corridors" for relief
to Yugoslavia.
20th November Bosnia-Herzegovina requested the deployment of
United Nations troops.
27th November The United Nations Security Council unanimously
adopted Resolution 721 requesting a report on the feasibility of
sending peace-keeping forces to Yugoslavia, conditional on the
observance of a 23rd November cease-fire agreement; this last
condition was considered fundamental.
2nd December Meeting in Brussels, EC Foreign Ministers decided
to restore credit and trade agreements and to lift aid sanctions
on four of the six Yugoslav republics; Serbia and Montenegro
were excluded. The sanctions had been imposed on 8th November
with the proviso that they be lifted against republics which
could be shown not to be participating in aggression. At the
same time, however, the United States imposed sanctions on all
Yugoslav republics (trade with the United States represented
about 5% of Yugoslavia's foreign earnings).
4th December The Assembly of Croatia unanimously approved a law
on minorities, committing Croatia to accept all international
conventions on human rights and granting cultural autonomy to
ethnic communities within Croatia once there was peace in the
republic within its 1974 borders.
9th December The peace conference in The Hague continued its
work. A report by the EC arbitration commission concluding that
Yugoslavia was "legally in the process of dissolution" was
rejected by the Yugoslav presidency.
15th December The United Nations Security Council voted
unanimously to send "a small group including military personnel"
to Yugoslavia as monitors to prepare for the eventual deployment
of peace-keeping troops.
It also urged United Nations members to do nothing to exacerbate
the situation (i.e. recognise the independence of republics!).
16th December EC Foreign Ministers voted after a 10-hour debate
to extend recognition by 15th January to republics which met
certain conditions.
The conditions agreed, which were based on guidelines elaborated
by France for recognition of new states emerging in Europe,
included:
- acceptance of the United Nations, Helsinki Act and Paris
Charter commitments on the rule of law, democracy and human
rights;
- guarantees of ethnic and minority rights;
- acceptance of the inviolability of frontiers:
- honouring disarmament and regional security commitments;
- arbitration to decide a structure to replace the old state;
- acceptance of the draft agreement on Yugoslavia's future,
elaborated by the EC peace conference.
19th December Two Serb enclaves in Croatia, the Serbian
Autonomous Region of Krajina and the Autonomous Region of
Slavonia, Branaja and Western Srem, proclaimed themselves the
Serbian Republic of Krajina. The two enclaves did not share a
common border, but together occupied about a third of Croatian
territory and included 300 000 people. Milan Babic was elected
president.
23rd December The government of Montenegro said that it would
not be asking for EC recognition.
The ethnic Albanians of Kosovo asked for EC recognition of an
independent Kosovo.
Germany recognised the independence of Slovenia and Croatia and
promised that diplomatic relations would be established on 15th
January 1992.
24th December Four republics: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia,
Macedonia and Slovenia were reported to have requested
recognition from the EC.
25th December, The Serbian-dominated collective state
presidency 31st December approved the United Nations plan for
peace-keeping operations. This plan envisaged three
demilitarised areas in Croatia, covering the Serbian enclaves of
Western Slavonia, Eastern Slavonia and Krajina. Irregular forces
would be disarmed and JNA and Croatian National Guard forces
would be withdrawn.
26th December Macedonia drafted constitutional changes to fit
the EC conditions for recognition.
27th December The Yugoslav presidency and the Federal Assembly
condemned the EC's proposals and the presidency asked the United
Nations to take control of the peace process.
1992
----
6th January Macedonia amended its constitution to fall in line
with EC criteria for recognition. The amendments stated that
Macedonia had no territorial claims on other countries, and
renounced interference in their affairs. Constitutional
amendments also abolished Macedonian representation in the
Yugoslav Assembly and presidency. However, Macedonia's internal
divisions were highlighted by a referendum held by the ethnic
Albanian minority in Macedonia on 11th-12th January, in which
99.9% voted for territorial and political autonomy.
8th January Notwithstanding the shooting down by the Yugoslav
air force of an EC monitor helicopter on 7th January 1992,
killing all five of its crew, the United Nations Security
Council unanimously approved the deployment of an advance force
in the planned operation to send 10 000 United Nations peace-
keeping troops to Yugoslavia.
9th January The risk of ethnic conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina
was considered to be too great for that republic to qualify for
EC recognition. The Assembly representing its Serbian
population declared an autonomous Republic of the Serbian People
of Bosnia-Herzegovina announced that Bosnia-Herzegovina's
President and Foreign Minister "no longer represent the
interests of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serbian people in
international forums".
The EC peace conference reconvened in Brussels. President
Milosevic accepted the EC plan for guaranteed minority rights,
which also affected Serbian enclaves in Croatia.
10th January The EC Foreign Ministers lifted sanctions against
Montenegro, thus leaving only Serbia subject to the sanctions
imposed on 8th November 1991.
The EC Arbitration Commission had also recommended recognising
Macedonian independence, but Greece objected to an independent
state under that name and had insisted on the inclusion of a
clause in the EC criteria for recognition stating that republics
should renounce "the use of a denomination which implies
territorial claims".
15th January The presidency of the EC announced that its member
states had decided to recognise Croatia and Slovenia as
independent states.
Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina which had also sought
recognition, were not recognised.
16th January EC monitors extended their activities to Hungary
to monitor compliance with the arms embargo on Yugoslavia after
having signed a protocol with Hungary.
25th January A debate in the Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina,
boycotted by Serbian parties, endorsed a referendum on the
republic's sovereignty to be held from 29th February to 1st
March.
29th February In the referendum in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 29th
February to 1st March, 99.4% of the votes opted for full
independence with a 63% turnout. Holding a referendum had been
one of the conditions demanded by the EC before it would
consider recognition of independence. Almost overnight,
fighting erupted between Muslims and both Serb irregulars and
JNA and Croatian irregulars.
3rd March The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared itself
independent.
9th March A first advance party of the peace-keeping force
agreed by the Security Council in February, the United Nations
Protection Force for Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR), under its commander,
Lieutenant-General Satish Nambiar, arrived in Yugoslavia to
prepare for the arrival of the 14 000 strong force in the United
Nations-protected areas of Eastern and Western Slavonia and
Urajina.
18th March Leaders of the three main ethnic groups in Bosnia-
Herzegovina signed an agreement in Sarajevo, under EC auspices,
on the future of the republic which provided for its division
into three autonomous units along ethnic lines. However, all
signatories also agreed that it would be extremely difficult, if
not impossible, to implement because very few areas were in fact
exclusively inhabited by any one of the three communities.
25th March President Izetbegovic called on all citizens to
reject the division of the republic along ethnic lines alone and
to accept the concept of a military state. He had signed the
Sarajevo agreement only because he had been isolated and because
the EC mediators had insisted on signing as a precondition for
recognition of independence.
27th March The "Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina" was
proclaimed.
The Bosnian government, asked the United Nations to send in
military observers in order to monitor a cease-fire in Bosanski
Brod.
6th April EC Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg
recognised the independence of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 7th
April, but not of Macedonia, due to Greek objections. On the
same date, the United States recognised Croatia, Slovenia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
7th April The EC had conditionally ended trade sanctions
against Serbia, but it warned of renewed sanctions and of
severing diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia if fighting
involving Serbian forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina did not stop by
the end of the month.
The United Nations Security Council recommended the full
deployment of UNPROFOR.
After the Bosnian independence declaration, fighting between
different ethnic groups intensified.
27th April The Federal Assembly adopted the Constitution of a
new Yugoslav state, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY),
comprising Serbia and Montenegro.
The constitutional law granted cultural minority rights, but the
Albanian and Hungarian minorities distanced themselves from the
new constitution.
28th April The United Nations agreed in principle to extend its
involvement to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
May The authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina repeatedly
requested foreign military aid.
Serbian communities in Croatia jeopardised the success of
UNPROFOR by refusing to demobilise their forces.
2nd May Meeting in Guimaraes, EC Foreign Ministers agreed on
an action plan including:
- humanitarian aid;
- collaboration with any United Nations action to separate the
warring parties;
- reinforced diplomatic efforts.
The Foreign Ministers also concluded that the EC was "willing to
recognise Macedonia as a sovereign and independent state within
its existing borders and under a name that can be accepted by
all parties concerned".
12th May The United Nations Secretary-General made
recommendations to the Security Council that:
1. UNPROFOR headquarters should no longer be in Sarajevo for
the safety of its own personnel.
2. No United Nations peace-keeping force should be sent to
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
3. The United Nations peace plan for Croatia was in jeopardy
from the failure of Serbs in Croatia to demobilise.
17th May UNPROFOR left Sarajevo for Belgrade, leaving a
skeleton force of 120.
30th May The Security Council, by adopting Resolution 757,
imposed comprehensive sanctions on the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. These sanctions included:
- severing trade links;
- freezing government assets abroad;
- an oil embargo;
- a sporting and cultural ban;
- cutting air links.
July When the practice of "ethnic cleansing" had been
commonplace in many regions of former Yugoslavia for a number of
months, the refugee problem became a subject of major concern.
According to estimates from the office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local Red Cross
committees, some 2.5 million people from the former Yugoslavia
were displaced by the end of July 1992, and some 10 000 people
from Bosnia were joining them every day. The total included
about 600 000 people who had been displaced during the war
between Serbia and Croatia in 1991. The majority of the
refugees, 1 885 000 remained in the former Yugoslav republics:
681,000 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 672 000 in Croatia (including the
Serb-occupied zones), 383 000 in Serbia, 70 000 in Slovenia, 49
000 in Montenegro and 31 000 in Macedonia. Among neighbouring
countries, Germany had taken in some 200 000 refugees, Hungary
and Austria some 50 000 each and Sweden 44 000; smaller numbers
were accepted in other European countries.
Notwithstanding the need to address this problem, there was a
considerable lack of consensus among the countries most
affected.
A German proposal to adopt a quota system for distributing
refugees to EC member states found no support among the EC
members and France and the United Kingdom proposed that refugees
should be accommodated and given assistance as near as possible
to their place of origin.
Others proposed the establishment of so-called safe havens on
the territory of former Yugoslavia, in particular in Bosnia-
Herzegovina, but there was no consensus to provide the ground
troops needed to protect these safe havens against armed attack
or intimidation.
At the UNHCR conference, participating countries pledged $152
million and logistical support for the housing of refugees and
the maintenance of humanitarian road convoys inside Bosnia.
10th July WEU and NATO both agreed to police United Nations-
imposed sanctions against Yugoslavia by means of an air and sea
operation in the Adriatic, but there was no authority to stop
vessels suspected of breaking sanctions.
13th July The United Nations Security Council endorsed a
recommendation from Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali to send an
additional 500 troops to join the 1 100 supervising the Sarajevo
relief operations.
21st July According to the Commander of United Nations
operations in Sarajevo, General Lewis MacKenzie, 40 000 United
Nations troops were needed in Sarajevo alone to keep the peace.
early August Greece closed its border with Macedonia and
imposed an oil embargo. The Greek action, based on opposition
to the creation of an independent state using the name
Macedonia, brought the republic to the verge of economic
collapse.
3rd August President Izetbegovic addressed a letter to the
United Nations Security Council demanding that Bosnia-
Herzegovina be allowed to import arms in order to "achieve the
right of individual and collective self-defence" guaranteed by
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
4th August At a meeting in New York, the Islamic Conference
Organisation (ICO) advocated the use of force against the
Serbian forces in compliance with Article 42 of the United
Nations Charter, and the lifting of the arms embargo against
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
13th August The United Nations Security Council approved
Resolution 770, which authorised "all measures necessary" to
ensure humanitarian aid. This resolution, however, was
interpreted as authorising the use of force as a last resort,
since several European governments expressed the need for
caution.
14th August France offered to contribute a 1 100 strong "force
of protection and escort", followed by Spain, Italy and Belgium
with unspecified numbers.
18th August The United States and the United Kingdom had
reiterated their opposition to the use of ground troops, but the
United Kingdom offered 1 800 troops to ensure the protection of
humanitarian convoys in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
25th August A United Nations General Assembly resolution was
adopted citing Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter which
authorises the use of force where economic embargo has failed.
26th-27th August In its final declaration, the London conference,
organised by the UK presidency of the EC, once again outlined
the terms for a political settlement of the crisis in former
Yugoslavia. A settlement was to include:
- recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina by all the former Yugoslav
republics;
- respect for the integrity of present frontiers unless changed
by mutual agreement;
- guarantees for national communities and minorities;
- the right of return for those who had been expelled;
It also stated that "an international peace-keeping force under
United Nations auspices may be created by the United Nations
Security Council to maintain the cease-fire, control military
movements and undertake other confidence-building measures".
28th August WEU ministers agreed to tighten the embargo
enforcement on the Danube and in the Adriatic. WEU also
announced that it would place almost
5 000 troops, together with transport and logistical equipment,
at the immediate disposal of the United Nations.
3rd September In Geneva, the new permanent conference on
Yugoslavia co-chaired by Lord Owen for the EC and Cyrus Vance
for the United Nations, was opened.
6th September In a communique, the Geneva conference announced
that by 12th September, the warring parties in Bosnia-
Hercegovina were to place under United Nations supervision their
heavy weaponry (artillery over 100 mm calibre, 82 mm mortars,
tanks and rocket launchers) deployed around Sarajevo, Gorazde,
Bihac and Jajce. (This was only partly observed.)
14th September The United Nations Security Council agreed to
expand the UNPROFOR by up to 6 000 troops, in addition to the 1
500 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the 15 000 in Croatia, to protect
humanitarian aid. UNPROFOR members were allowed to use force
for self-defence, including when prevented from carrying out
their mandate.
9th October The United Nations Security Council adopted
Resolution 781, to ban military flights in the air-space of
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The ban was immediately defied, but under intense international
pressure and President Bush's announcement that the United
States was prepared to participate in enforcing the ban, Bosnian
Serbs finally grounded all combat aircraft.
16th October In their Birmingham declaration, EC leaders warned
that they would ask the Security Council to consider enforcement
measures if delays in compliance with the ban on military
flights continued.
28th October The Geneva negotiators formally rejected the
division of Bosnia-Herzegovina into three "ethnic-,
confessionally-based republics" and presented constitutional
proposals for a decentralised Bosnia-Herzegovina aimed at
preserving its territorial integrity.
The reshaped republic, it was proposed, would be based on seven
to ten provincial governments with substantial power and
autonomy to control education, police, health and law
enforcement. The borders of the provinces still had to be
negotiated. A central government would remain in Sarajevo with
responsibility for defence, foreign policy and trade. The
largely ceremonial presidency would rotate among major groups.
6th November UNPROFOR convoys trying to reach towns under siege
repeatedly came under fire and returned fire.
12th November In separate declarations Serbia, Albania and
Bulgaria expressed support for a Greek initiative to guarantee
the existing borders of Macedonia, apparently designed to allay
international concern about Greece's intentions towards the
former Yugoslav republic.
16th November The United Nations Security Council passed
Resolution 787 calling upon states to stop and search vessels in
the Adriatic and on the Danube to ensure strict implementation
of United Nations sanctions against former Yugoslavia. It
called for observers to be deployed on the borders of Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
19th November Alternative Bosnian Serb constitutional proposals
based on the three-way subdivision of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as
laid down in the March 1992 Lisbon agreement with provision for
joint foreign, defence and other policies, were presented to the
Geneva conference.
20th November NATO and WEU agreed to adopt powers to stop and
search any ships entering or leaving Yugoslav waters, with
warships being allowed, if necessary, to fire across the bows of
vessels to force them to stop.
26th November Despite an agreement between military commanders
of the Croat and Serb armed forces in Bosnia and the UNPROFOR
commander, Major-General Philippe Morillon, for Croatian regular
forces to begin withdrawing from the self-proclaimed Serbian
Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina as from 30th November, there was
no sign of a decrease in fighting. An earlier cease-fire
arranged on 11th November, had broken down after five days.
8th December At the Geneva peace conference on Yugoslavia,
leaders of the three warring factions in Bosnia presented maps
for the "cantonisation" of the republic along ethnic lines.
10th December Over 1 million Greeks demonstrated in Athens
against the international recognition of Macedonia under its
existing name. In Brussels, EC Foreign Ministers criticised
Greece for allowing Greek companies to violate United Nations
sanctions by shipping oil to Serbia while at the same time
withholding oil from Macedonia. United Nations sanctions
against Serbia had already cut off Macedonia's main trade route.
11th December The United Nations Security Council authorised
the dispatch to Macedonia of a United Nations peace-keeping
force of 700 troops plus 35 military observers and 26 civilian
police.
17th December Foreign Ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation, which was preparing contingency plans for
intervention, agreed to support any future United Nations
resolution enforcing the existing flight ban over Bosnia, on
condition that such a resolution provided for continued
humanitarian efforts. The United Kingdom had consistently
expressed reservations over intervention, in contrast to the
stance of the United States which called for preventive
bombardment of Serb positions.
18th December A United Nations Security Council resolution was
unanimously adopted which vehemently condemned the detention and
mass rape of Muslim women by Serb forces in Bosnia and called
for EC observers to be allowed into the detention camps under
armed escort to assess the situation.
20th December United States President George Bush and United
Kingdom Prime Minister John Major agreed in Washington to
support a United Nations resolution enforcing the flight ban.
25th December Bush warned Milosevic in a letter that if Serbia
provoked conflict in the largely Albanian-populated province of
Kosovo, or if the Security Council voted to enforce the flight
ban, the United States could unilaterally use military force
against Serbia.
27th December French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas said that
France would participate in United Nations efforts to enforce
the flight ban.
1993
----
2nd January Lord Owen and Cyrus Vance presented a new proposal
for Bosnia-Herzegovina, including:
- the reorganisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina into ten provinces,
according to a detailed map which was provided;
- the establishment of five major corridors between the
provinces would allow the safe passage of humanitarian aid and
civilians;
- constitutional principles for the republic with a large
measure of autonomy for the provinces within a decentralised
state;
- cease-fire and demilitarisation arrangements.
10th January After an Amnesty International publication on
conditions in detention camps and, in particular, on the
organised and systematic rape and sexual abuse of women in
camps, the French Foreign Minister Dumas said that France was
prepared to act alone to free civilians from detention camps in
Bosnia. Later, Defence Minister Joxe said that his colleague's
words had been "misinterpreted".
12th January Kuradzic, under heavy pressure from Milosevic and
Yugoslavia's President Cosic, agreed provisionally to the
constitutional proposals.
14th January The EC Foreign Ministers gave the Bosnian Serbs a
six-day ultimatum for the definitive acceptance of the latest
proposals, and the EC presidency threatened the complete
political and economic isolation of Serbia if this ultimatum was
rejected.
19th-20th January The Bosnian Serb assembly in Pale finally accepted
the outlines of the plan.
22nd January Croatian forces penetrated United Nations peace-
keeping lines in the "Serbian Republic of Krajina" within
Croatia in order to establish a new cease-fire line before the
expiry of the United Nations peacekeeping mandate on 21st
February and to recover Croatian territory from the Serbs.
These operations took place in the disputed "pink zone" outside
Krajina but occupied by Serb forces.
25th January The United Nations Security Council called on
Croatia to withdraw its forces behind the original cease-fire
line, while also demanding that the Serb authorities in Krajina
return heavy weapons which had been seized from United Nations
depots.
27th January A United Nations resolution warned that measures
might be taken if troops were not withdrawn.
10th February The United States administration offered to
become "actively and directly engaged" in peace efforts in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and clarified its policy on former Yugoslavia
with a series of proposals. Reginald Bartholomew, currently the
United States ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation, was appointed as the United States special envoy
to the international peace talks on former Yugoslavia, which
were transferred from Geneva to New York on 1st February. The
administration expressed serious reservations about certain
aspects of the Geneva peace plan drafted in January which, it
maintained, rewarded ethnic cleansing.
The United States administration proposed, among other things,
that:
- any peace plan had to be accepted by all parties rather than
imposed;
- sanctions should be tightened against Serbia, which had to be
dissuaded from spreading the war to Kosovo or Macedonia;
- the no-fly zone over Bosnia had to be enforced by a Security
Council resolution;
- if there were a "viable" agreement on Bosnia, the United
States would join with "the United Nations, NATO and others" to
enforce it, if necessary by military force.
19th February A Security Council resolution, extending the
mandate of the UNPROFOR in Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia until
31st March, also called for United Nations troops in former
Yugoslavia to be armed for their protection.
February Romania, Russia and Ukraine made calls for
international compensation to be paid to them for losses
suffered through United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia.
March United Nations forces became involved in attempts to
evacuate Muslims from besieged areas.
A fresh round of peace talks in New York failed to make
substantial progress despite the signatures of several
presidents for different parts of the Vance-Owen plan.
31st March The United Nations Security Council adopted
Resolution 816 allowing NATO aircraft to shoot down planes
violating the no-fly zone imposed on Bosnian airspace in October
1992. Enforcement was to come into effect after seven days.
UNPROFOR's mandate, due to expire on 31st March was extended for
a further three months. At the same time, President Tudjman
continued to call for the implementation of the 1992 United
Nations peace-keeping plan for Serb-occupied Croatian territory.
April The Clinton administration, conscious of public
opposition to direct military intervention, started to express
the view that the arms embargo on Bosnian Muslims should be
lifted while allied air strikes might be used to reinforce
sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
2nd April NATO endorsed the enforcement of a United Nations-
imposed no-fly zone over Bosnia, but it laid down strict rules
of engagement with Serbian military aircraft, with the provision
that those violating the ban would first be warned off and only
if the warning were ignored would they then be shot at. Serbian
ground forces could not be attacked.
8th April Macedonia is admitted to the United Nations under
its provisional name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
The German constitutional court in Karlsruhe authorises the
participation of German military in NATO's AWACS operations,
controlling air space in order to help apply the no-fly zone
over Bosnia for Serbian aircraft.
12th April NATO fighters from France, the Netherlands and the
United States started to enforce the "no-fly" zone.
In the United Nations Security Council, the United States was
instrumental in bringing about a decision to postpone the vote
on tighter sanctions against Serbia until after the Russian
referendum on 25th April, conscious that President Yeltsin was
facing hard-line opposition from pro-Serbian conservatives.
16th April United Nations Security Council Resolution 819
declares Srebrenica, which had fallen into Serbian hands, a
security zone. Srebrenica, is given back to the Muslims and
becomes a demilitarised zone.
17th, 18th April The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution
820, tightening the economic sanctions against Serbia and
Montenegro.
25th April European governments with their troops involved in
United Nations operations on the ground were opposed to such
steps and EC Foreign Ministers took the view that lifting the
arms embargo might escalate and prolong the conflict. Only
Germany supported lifting the arms ban. The United Kingdom
government stated that limited air strikes on Serb supply and
communication lines would remain as the "least worst" option.
At the same meeting, EC ministers reinforced their commitment to
make tougher United Nations sanctions work by agreeing to double
the number of EC sanctions monitors.
25th, 26th April The Bosnian Serb Assembly rejected the proposed
territorial arrangements in the Vance-Owen peace plan for
Bosnia, which had been endorsed by Bosnian Croats and Muslims.
Many interpreted the Bosnian Serb decision as a calculated
gamble that the West's response to the crisis would remain
tentative and that there would be no direct international
military intervention.
27th April At a meeting with NATO senior military officials in
Brussels, General Colin Powell made it clear that the United
States government would not contemplate military action without
specific authority from the United Nations. On the same
occasion, the Chairman of NATO's Military Committee insisted
that western political leaders should first specify their
political objectives in Bosnia before advocating any kind of
military action.
1st, 2nd May A summit conference assembles all the main
political leaders in the conflict. Radovan Karadzic, the leader
of the Bosnian Serbs signs the Vance-Owen peace plan under
strong pressure.
6th May The self-proclaimed Serbian parliament of Bosnia,
meeting in Pale, refuses to ratify the Vance-Owen peace plan and
submits the final decision to a referendum to be held on 15th-
16th May. The Yugoslav rump-state, Serbia and Montenegro, imposes
an economic embargo upon the Bosnian Serbs to force them to agree
to the peace plan. The United Nations Security Council adopts
Resolution 824, creating five security zones in Bosnia-
Herzegovina (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zepa, Gorazde and Bihac).
15th, 16th May In a referendum, the Bosnian Serbs reject the
Vance-Owen plan with a 96% majority and vote in favour of the
independence of the "Serbian Republic".
22nd May On the same day as the Bosnian Serbs pronounce their
military victory, controlling 70% of Bosnian territory, the
United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and Spain
establish in Washington a "joint action plan".
The "joint action plan", rejecting the military option, plans
the creation of six security zones (Bihac, Gorazde, Sarajevo,
Srebrenica, Tuzla and Zepa) in order to protect the Muslim
civilian population and the deployment of international
observers at the frontier between Serbia and Bosnia in order to
control Serbia's support to the Bosnian Serbs.
1st June Following an attack by a member of the ultra-
nationalist Serb Radical Party on a member of parliament
representing the opposition Movement for Serb Renewal, Belgrade
experiences a night of rioting brought under control by violent
repression. The Serb opposition leader, Vuk Draskovic is
arrested.
2nd June The Yugoslav President, Dobrica Cosic, is accused by
the Yugoslav Federal Parliament of conducting an independent
foreign policy and removed from office.
4th June The Security Council authorises the dispatch of
additional troops (Resolution 836) to protect the populations -
some six million people - of the six Bosnian Muslim enclaves
under seige by Serbian forces. The resolution explicitly
authorises possible recourse to armed force in response to any
attack against these areas.
8th June At a meeting in Luxembourg, the Foreign Ministers of
the Twelve declare their unanimous support for the proposal for
"safe areas".
The North Atlantic Council and the WEU Council hold their first
joint session on the surveillance operations for enforcement of
the embargo, conducted by WEU and NATO in the Adriatic since
June 1992. The two Councils approve a unique arrangement for
the command of these operations: delegation of operational
control of the NATO/WEU Task Force via SACEUR to the Commander
of Allied Naval Forces, Southern Europe, who will conduct
operations to secure compliance with United Nations sanctions on
behalf of NATO and WEU.
10th June The meeting of the sixteen NATO foreign ministers
is opened in Athens. The NATO member states decide to make 80
(mainly American) combat aircraft available to the United
Nations for operations under NATO command.
The American Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, confirms
the dispatch of 300 troops to the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. These are the first American soldiers to set foot in
former Yugoslavia.
Following the signature of memoranda of understanding between
WEU and each of the Danuabe states in order to optimise
monitoring of the embargo against Serbia and Montenegro, the WEU
mission is based at a co-ordination centre at Calafat, Romania.
WEU member states will send some 300 civilian officials and
eleven patrol boats with the task of stopping or diverting river
traffic in order to check cargoes and destinations.
Adoption by the Security Council of Resolution 837 authorising
the deployment of international observers in Serbia and Bosnia.
This resolution in principle completes the "joint action
programme" signed in Washington on 22nd May.
15-16th June Within the framework of the Geneva meeting on
Bosnia, Presidents Milosevic and Tudjman reach
agreement on the principle of the partition of Bosnia into
"three constituent nations" (Serb, Croat and Muslim) in the
framework of a federal or confederal state. This proposal
sounds the death-knell for the Vance/Owen peace plan for a
division of the country into ten provinces.
17th June The day after the Serbo-Croat initiative for
partitioning Bosnia into "three constituent nations" Lord Owen
states that the proposal marks the failure of the Vance/Owen
plan.
19th June A referendum is held on whether the Serbs of
Krajina (Croatia) should unite with the Bosnian Serbs and "other
Serbian states which so wish".
20th June The Foreign Ministers of the Twelve affirm the
need to respect "Bosnia's territorial integrity", while
examining with the mediator, Lord Owen, the creation within the
country of three entities for each of the three communities,
Croat, Serb and Muslim.
President Izetbegovic of Bosnia meets the European "troika" (the
Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Denmark, and the United Kingdom),
who urge him to take part in the new negotiations starting
between Serbs and Croats. However Mr. Izebegovic again refuses
to participate in any negotiations unless the siege of Sarajevo
and the Muslim enclaves is lifted.
22nd June At the close of the summit meeting in Copenhagen,
the Twelve recall their wish for the integrity of the Bosnian
state to be preserved and a solution found that is acceptable to
the three sides, Croats, Serbs and Muslims alike.
Talks are resumed in Geneva on the Serbo-Croat plan for the
partition of Bosnia between the three ethnic communities - in
the absence of President Izetbegovic.
23rd June The Geneva peace talks between the Bosnian collegial
presidency delegation and Presidents Milosevic and Tudjman come
to a close, apparently without any progress being achieved.
25th June In Belgrade, Zoran Lilic is elected leader of the
Yugoslav Federation (Serbia and Montenegro). The new president,
reputedly "close" to the Serb President, Slobodan Milosevic,
replaces Dobric Cosic, who was overthrown at the beginning of
June.
3Oth June In New York, the United Nations Security Council
rejects a resolution from the non-aligned countries proposing
that the arms embargo be lifted to allow the Bosnian authorities
to obtain arms. By voting in favour of this resolution the
United States broke ranks with their European allies who, along
with Russia, opposed it. The American vote in fact appears to
be in contradiction with the "joint action programme" agreed
with the Russians and Europeans in Washington in May.
The Security Council extends the UNPROFOR mandate in Croatia by
three months, agreeing to review the decision after 30 days to
take account of the objections of the Croatian government.
1st July Arrival in Zagreb (Croatia) of General Jean Cot, the
new commander-in-chief of the twenty-five thousand UNPROFOR blue
berets in former Yugoslavia. The French general - who replaces
General Wahlgren - stresses he will give priority to protecting
and providing aid to the civilian populations.
At the end of a two-day visit to Greece, Boris Yeltsin and
Constantin Mitsotakis emphasise their two countries' common
position on the Balkans.
Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serb opposition, goes on hunger
strike the day after the Serb Government's decision to keep him
in detention.
7th July The meeting of the NATO Council at ambassador level
adopts plans for an air operation in support of the blue berets
in Bosnia, involving French, United Kingdom and Netherlands
aircraft. The relevant operational procedures have been
communicated to the United Nations.
8th July The American, European and Japanese partners of the
G7 in Tokyo for their annual summit meeting state in a policy
declaration on Bosnia "that they cannot accept a solution
imposed by the Serbs and Croats at the expense of the Bosnian
Muslims.
9th July In Belgrade, the leader of the Serb opposition, Vuk
Draskovic, is released after being detained for a month. In
Sarajevo, the Bosnian collegiate presidency rejects Serbo-Croat
proposals for a tripartite confederation of Croatian, Muslim and
Serbian republics. "We reject the division of Bosnia along
ethnic lines" President Izebegovic states.
11th July The Bosnian collegial presidency confirms the
existence of a proposal for organising Bosnia on a federal
basis, without ethnic divisions.
12th July Arrival in Skopje of a 300-strong American
battalion, whose task is to support the 700 blue berets from the
Scandinavian countries in their mission to prevent the conflict
extending into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
13th July During a brief visit to Budapest, Alain Juppe, the
French Minister for Foreign Affairs, expresses regret that
United Nations Resolution 836 creating security zones in Bosnia
remains a dead letter.
14th July Deployment of NATO fighter aircraft starts at
Italian bases - a prelude to the operation to provide air cover
for the blue berets responsible for protecting the besieged
Muslim enclaves.
30th July Agreement is reached in Geneva between the Serbs,
Croats and Muslims on a proposal for a "Union of Republics of
Bosnia-Hertzegovina". This agreement envisages three
constituent republics under the authority of a joint government
with limited powers.
30th July Agreement is reached in Geneva between the Serbs,
Croats and Muslims on a proposal for a "Union of Republics of
Bosnia-Herzegovina". This agreement envisages three constituent
republics under the authority of a joint government with limited
powers.
9th August The Geneva negotiations are broken off because of
the withdrawal of President Izetbegovic. The Bosnian leader
refuses to continue talks on the partition proposal until Serb
forces are withdrawn from Mount Igman and Mount Bjelnasnica
above Sarajevo.
The same day, in Brussels, the countries of the Atlantic
Alliance reiterate the threats made by the United States
President on 2nd August. NATO approves the principle of
military intervention in Bosnia in the form of air-strikes to
protect UNPROFOR troops and loosen the Serb stranglehold on
Sarajevo. The the final decision on whether the operation goes
ahead rests with the United Nations.
15th August Serb forces complete their evacuation of the
mountains above Sarajevo. The Muslims agree that the blue
berets should occupy the positions surrendered by the Serbs.
18th August In Geneva, the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic, his Croatian counterpart Mate Boban and the Bosnian
President Alija Izetbegovic approve the document put forward by
international mediators Lord Owen (EC) and Mr. Stoltenberg
(United Nations). This text proposes a temporary status for
Sarajevo as a demilitarised city administered by the United
Nations over a period of two years. However it is anticipated
that this agreement will only come into force once an overall
settlement of the conflict has been achieved.
20th August The international mediators, Lord Owen and Mr.
Stoltenberg, submit a plan for the partition of Bosnia-
Herzegovina into three Republics to the warring factions. This
plan appears to consolidate Serbian gains in that 52% of the
territory is allocated to the Serbs, 30% to the Muslims and 18%
to the Croats. A special status is proposed for Sarajevo and
Mostar - which are to be administered under United Nations and
EC mandate for two years.
President Izetbegovic of Bosnia has misgivings over the plan for
partition. However this is backed by the Bosnian Serbs, while
the Bosnian Croats say they will accept it if the Serb and
Muslim factions also approve.
31st August Negotiations are resumed in Geneva between Muslims,
Serbs and Croats; although the new Owen/Stoltenberg plan is
accepted unconditionally only by the Serbs.
8th September President Izebegovic is received in Washington by
President Bill Clinton. The Bosnian President fails to obtain
any formal assurance that the United States will intervene in
the conflict in former Yugoslavia.
16th September The Muslims and Croats having reached agreement
on some points (14th September), President Izetbegovic and the
head of the Bosnian Serb Parliament, Momcilo Krajisnik, sign a
joint declaration in Geneva containing further adjustments to
the Owen/Stoltenberg plan: enforcement of a cease-fire and
dismantling of the detention camps. The most important clause
allows the three republics the option of seceding from the
future "Union" purely on the basis of a referendum.
21st September The proposed meeting between the three factions
at Sarajevo airport to consolidate the peace agreement is
cancelled.
29th September By imposing impossibly rigid conditions for
acceptance - restitution by the breakaway Serbs of part of the
territory gained over the preceding eighteen months - the
Bosnian Parliament effectively rejects the Owen/Stoltenberg
peace plan.
4th October The United Nations adopts Resolution 871 extending
the mandate of 14 000 UNPROFOR blue berets in Croatia until 31st
March 1994.
7th October In a report published in Zagreb, UNPROFOR accuses
the Croat army of having wreaked "systematic and planned
destruction" in September in Croatian villages with a majority
Serb population.
8th October Belgrade announces its intention of blocking the
peace process in Bosnia if the peace plan is not accompanied by
a "specific proposal" for lifting the United Nations embargo
against Serbia and Montenegro.
10th October The UNPROFOR commander, General Cot, strongly
criticises the attitude of the United Nations and NATO towards
the crisis in former Yugoslavia.
15th October The Croatian President, Franjo Tudjman says he is
opposed to a "blanket" approach to the crisis and especially to
an international meeting which would link the Bosnian conflict
with all the other problems dealt with by the Conference on
former Yugoslavia.
20th October The United States confirms its readiness to
participate in a peace-keeping force for Bosnia if a peace plan
is accepted by the three parties to the conflict.
8th November In Brussels, the foreign ministers of the Twelve
state their willingness to resume the initiative over the crisis
in former Yugoslavia both as regards humanitarian aid and the
search for a settlement. The Twelve envisage a progressive
lifting of the sanctions against Belgrade in this connection.
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