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Decision on key Bosnian town again postponed
March 15, 1998
The streets of Brcko
Web posted at: 11:17 a.m. EST (1617 GMT)SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- A final decision on administrative rule of the disputed town of Brcko in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been postponed for a third time.
"The status quo under international supervision will be maintained, pending final arbitration phase to take place at the end of 1998 or early 1999," international mediators said in a statement Sunday.
The ruling concerned the only territorial question in Bosnia left undecided following the 1995 Dayton peace agreement, which formally ended the Balkan conflict that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
Ejup Ganic, president of the Bosnian Federation, comments on the Brcko decision Sunday Ganic explains when the talks will resume
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"The postponement is bad news ..."
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"We have to share ... we have to work together"
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(366 K / 30 sec. audio)The town is crucial to both Bosnian substates, the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serbs' republic. Because its status could not be settled at Dayton, Brcko has been administered by an international commission.
President Ejup Ganic told CNN he was disappointed by the decision by the international arbitration commission.
Bosnian Serbs overran Brcko in May and June of 1992, forcing Muslims and Croats to flee. The town is vital for the Serbs because it straddles a narrow corridor linking Serb holdings in eastern and western Bosnia.
Soldiers patrol the streets of Brcko, Bosnia-Herzegovina For the federation, Brcko is a key river port, a rail junction linking it to Western Europe and a place where thousands of refugees want to return.
Both sides had threatened to resume fighting if control goes to the other.
The situation in Brcko has improved significantly over the past year. About 2,000 Croat and Muslim refugees have returned to their pre-war homes. And Brcko's has seen the creation of a multi-ethnic town council and a joint police force -- a process mediated by American international supervisor Robert Farrand.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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- Serbs say Kosovo crackdown over - March 8, 1998
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- Report: Serb police attack ethnic Albanians in Kosovo - March 5, 1998
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (official government site)
- OSCE: Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina - providing information about the OSCE's activities
- Yugoslavia.com - information, news and links
- Serbia Now - non-partisan, non-profit news digest
- Serbia Online - general information on Serbia, its history and institutions
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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