Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511230015
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Question: When will American troops go to Bosnia?
Answer: Probably in mid-December, but White House and Pentagon officials aren't saying for sure. Clinton aides said Tuesday that Supreme Allied Commander in Europe George Joulwan will complete the details of a NATO troop plan and submit it for Clinton's review in a matter of days.
Once that has happened, the president will seek a formal expression of support from Congress. The president said Tuesday that Congress would have ``a period of weeks'' before an expected formal signing of the peace agreement in Paris. The signing would trigger the involvement of NATO's peacekeeping forces.
Some 1,500 to 2,000 NATO communications and logistical personnel, including several hundred Americans, are expected to be sent into Bosnia in the days before the signing.
Q: Why are American troops needed in Bosnia?
A: The warring parties have asked for their presence, and Clinton promised in February 1993 to send U.S. troops to help implement a peace agreement.
Q: How many American troops would be sent?
A: The American troops - roughly 20,000 to 25,000 - would make up one-third of the NATO force, with the rest coming from NATO partners and other nations. The bulk of the U.S. contingent will be from the Army's 1st Armored Division, based in Germany. About 3,000 reservists in the United States are likely to be called, along with hundreds of support crews.
Q: What will they be doing?
A: The U.S. troops will patrol ``zones of separation'' to keep the warring factions from fighting each other. They will have to clear mines. The Pentagon has said they will not disarm combatants, hunt down war-crime suspects, resettle refugees or rebuild the ravaged country.
by CNB