MFA - Press Releases

The SFOR HQ in Bosnia and Herzegovina replied to the inquiry of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Sarajevo concerning SFOR's ads in Croatian media that call on the public to cooperate in bringing the persons indicted of war crimes to justice.

The answer is signed by KENNETH J. QUINLAND, Brigadier General, U.S. Army SFOR ACOS OPS, and notes, among other things, as follows:

"...The ads in question were placed in Croatian based publications withg circulation in BiH. The message in the ads is directed to citizens of BiH who purchase the publications in BiH. Notwithstanding the universal nature of the message it is being directed at citizens of BiH.

SFOR has for many years used Croatian based publications with circulation in BiH to reach the public of BiH. This is firmly grounded in the provisions of the GFAP and our SOFA with Croatia and other agreements and thus is clearly within SFOR's mandate. Should these agreements be amended, such that SFOR's mandate is altered, our practices will be adjusted to ensure we stay within our mandate.

As an aside, SFOR is contracting with the media, paying for ad space that the media have the freedom to accepot or decline based on economic interest and editorial discretion. SFOR is not demanding media to comply with our wishes by providing ad space. The media outčets have actively responded to SFOR's requests to buy ad space.

SFOR remains committed to supporting the international community in bringing persons indicted for war crimes to justice. With this in mind we look forward to continued cooperation with Croatia to achieve this end."

Press releases