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Voice of America 3/27/97

YUGOSLAVIA / CHEMICAL WEAPONS

BYLINE=RITA COLORITO
DATELINE=NEW YORK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:

(VOICED BY MAX RUSTON)

INTRO: AN AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP, IN A REPORT RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY), SAYS CHEMICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA POSE A THREAT TO THE REGION'S FRAGILE PEACE. V-O-A'S RITA COLORITO REPORTS FROM NEW YORK.

TEXT: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SAYS IT HAS UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT THE YUGOSLAV NATIONAL ARMY HAD AN EXTENSIVE CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM PRIOR TO THE BREAKUP OF YUGOSLAVIA IN 1991. JOOST (YOST) HILTERMANN, DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ARMS PROJECT, SAYS THE ARMY OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA INHERITED MUCH OF THIS PROGRAM.

AT THE MOMENT WE ARE AWARE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS CAPABILITY IN THE FEDERATION OF YUGOSLAVIA, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE REPUBLICS OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO. AND THIS IS A GOVERNMENT THAT HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY ABUSIVE IN THE CONFLICT IN THE BALKANS IN THE PAST, THAT HAS INSTIGATED TO A LARGE EXTENT THE CONFLICT IN THE BALKANS. AND THE EXISTENCE OF THIS CAPABILITY THERE, THIS EXPERTISE, THIS EQUIPMENT, ALL MEAN THAT ONCE A FUTURE CONFLICT BREAKS OUT, OR IF FURTHER CONFLICT THREATENS, THE NEIGHBORING STATES MAY WELL CHOOSE TO DEVELOP SIMILAR CAPABILITIES IN ORDER TO COUNTERACT ANY ATTACK FROM THE SERBIAN SIDE. THIS MAY LEAD TO AN ARMS RACE IN CHEMICAL WEAPONS. AND THAT, IN ITSELF, MAY FURTHER INCREASE THE TENSIONS THAT ALREADY EXIST.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE YUGOSLAV MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS CATEGORICALLY DENIES ALL ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE USE AND PRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN HIS COUNTRY, SUGGESTING THAT THE INFORMATION IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT CAME FROM OTHER FORMER REPUBLICS TRYING TO PRESENT A FALSE PICTURE ABOUT THE YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC'S ROLE IN THE CRISIS.

MR. HILTERMANN OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SAYS SOME OF THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS EXPERTS FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAV ARMY ARE LIVING IN BOSNIA AND CROATIA, ADDING THAT THE POTENTIAL FOR THOSE COUNTRIES TO DEVELOP CHEMICAL WEAPONS CAPABILITIES IS THEREFORE A REAL ISSUE. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SAYS IT CANNOT CONFIRM ALLEGATIONS THAT CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARE CURRENTLY BEING PRODUCED.

THE GROUP'S REPORT ALSO CHARGES THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS KNOWN ABOUT CHEMICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION CAPABILITY IN THE BALKANS SINCE 1993, BUT HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO RELEASE THE INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT HAS NO COMMENT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ALLEGATIONS.

THE REPORT -- CALLED "CLOUDS OF WAR: CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA" -- IS BASED ON A YEAR OF RESEARCH, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS WITH PERSONS INVOLVED IN WHAT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DESCRIBES AS THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV ARMY. THE REPORT SAYS THE YUGOSLAV ARMY CONDUCTED RESEARCH DURING THE WAR IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA ON A VARIETY OF CHEMICAL AGENTS, INCLUDING THE NERVE AGENT SARIN.

THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN WARFARE HAS BEEN PROHIBITED SINCE THE 1925 GENEVA PROTOCOL. THE POSSESSION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IS PROHIBITED UNDER THE 1993 CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO COME INTO FORCE FOR RATIFYING COUNTRIES ON APRIL 29, 1997.

MR. HILTERMANN SAYS RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION BY ALL PARTIES IS NEEDED TO ENSURE A LASTING PEACE IN THE BALKANS.

CROATIA HAS RATIFIED. BOSNIA HAS SIGNED BUT NOT YET RATIFIED, AND THE FEDERATION OF YUGOSLAVIA HAS NEITHER SIGNED NOR RATIFIED, AND THIS IS RATHER ALARMING GIVEN THE CAPABILITY THAT EXISTS.

THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION HAS BACKED THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION. (SIGNED)

NEB/NY/RC/LSF/KL

27-Mar-97 4:05 PM EST (2105 UTC)
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