United Nations, July 04: The UN Security Council has
extended the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia until July 15,
averting a threatened shutdown by the United States over its
demand for immunity for American peacekeepers.
The delay will give the 15-member council more time to
try to resolve the contentious dispute, which has left the
United States at odds with its allies and the vast majority of
the council.
On Sunday, the us vetoed a resolution extending the
Bosnian mission because it didn't grant immunity to American
peacekeepers, but agreed to a 72-hour extension until midnight
yesterday.
US Ambassador John Negroponte had vowed not to extend the
mission without an exemption for us peacekeepers. But after
council members rejected two compromise us proposals yesterday
to put American peacekeepers beyond the reach of the new
international war crimes tribunal, the bush administration
gave the green light for further negotiations.
The United States is demanding immunity for US
participants in UN peacekeeping operations, claiming Americans
could be subject to frivolous political prosecutions.
Negroponte said, “The United States decided to give the council
more time to consider its proposals and hopefully reach an
agreement that would exempt US peacekeepers.”
"We do have to find some kind of resolution to this
problem in due course, otherwise we are going to be
confronting it in a number of different situations," he said.
Bureau Report
