Citation
MADRID, April 14 (Reuter) - U.N. Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali said on Thursday the world body would not hesitate to
authorise more air strikes around the Bosnian enclave of Gorazde in
order to protect peacekeeping forces deployed there.
We will continue to ask for air support from NATO as long as we have
the mandate of the (U.N.) Security Council and as long as we believe
this is in the interests of maintaining the peace in former
Yugoslavia,
he told journalists in Madrid.
NATO bombed Serb forces besieging the Moslem pocket of Gorazde, a
U.N.-declared safe haven, earlier this week.
We have a responsibility to protect the security of the United Nations
peacekeeping forces in the former Yugoslavia and we will not hesitate
to ask for air support if (their) security is endangered,
said
Boutros-Ghali.
I want to confirm this is not against any party. It is not taking a
position in favour of A, B or C. It is in conformity with the
resolution of the Security Council,
he added.
The secretary-general is on a three-day official visit to Spain. He had
talks with Foreign Minister Javier Solana on Thursday and is due to
meet Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez on Friday before travelling to
Barcelona for a day.
Boutros-Ghali arrived in Madrid on Wednesday, hours after Russian
President Boris Yeltsin left the country, having expressed anger at not
being consulted before the strikes.
A resolution was adopted by the U.N. Security Council and it was
adopted by unanimity. The resolution gave the secretary-general a
mandate to demand air support from NATO if U.N. troops are in
difficulty,
Boutros-Ghali said.
He added he hoped the U.N. could help to contain the destruction in the
former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda by drawing the parties concerned into
negotiations.
The Rwandan Patriotic Front n Thursday denied a U.N. report they had
agreed to truce talks. The U.N. had said talks would be held under
their auspices between the Front and recently-installed interim
government.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
