• by IPS Correspondents (brussels)
• Wednesday, December 14, 1994
• Inter Press Service

BRUSSELS, Dic 14 (IPS) - The 16 NATO countries which contribute troops to UNPROFOR in Bosnia will meet in the Hague on Monday to discuss ways to make the peacekeeping operation more efficient, announced NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes Wednesday.

"Recommendations which might come out of the two-day meeting of army chiefs is the setting up of a so-called 'blue line' or a 'corridor' which would go from Split up to Sarajevo and central Bosnia as a protected corridor conveying humanitarian assistance," Dutch defence minister Joris Voorhoeve told journalists.

Army chiefs would also try to find ways to protect Sarajevo and, particularly, the airport and at the same time look into ways in which UNPROFOR might be reconfigured around Sarajevo to make the airport safer.

The army chiefs will also look at the regrouping some parts of UNPROFOR particularly the parts which are in small clusters. There are some units that are made up of clusters of only 10-20 people which might be brought together into larger groups.

"With all these measures we could prevent hostage taking and attacks against the peacekeepers," a senior United States defence official said here.

Dutch defence minister Voorhoeve said that his proposal to send more troops and equip the UNPROFOR forces with more and better weapons, got strong support from most of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members.

"Making the United Nations peacekeeping troops more effective and efficient means saving the lives of the Bosnian Muslims. We are not talking about converting UNPROFOR into an efficient fighting force. I am talking about making them more effective to the mandate they already have which is delivery of humanitarian aid and for limiting levels of violence," United States defence secretary William Perry explained.

The recommendations of the meeting of army commanders will be given to United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali. United Nations commander in Bosnia, general Michael Rose and Boutros Ghali's military adviser will also attend the The Hague meeting next week.

The defence ministers will also discuss the evacuation plan of UNPROFOR and relief workers under what is called 'worst case scenario' in which they are under attack from Bosnian Muslims as well as from Bosnian Serbs.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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