Milosevic read out a quite interesting quotation from Lord Owen’s book. Owen says, "in Sarajevo, it became increasingly clear that in fact there were two sieges of the town, one which was implemented by the Bosnian Serb army with shells, sniper fire and blockades, and another by the army of the Bosnian government which prevented their people from leaving through internal blockades and bureaucratic complications. Able-bodied men from 18 to 65 and women from 18 to 60 were not allowed to leave because they were essential for the defense of the town, but their main reason was a different one. The Serb siege in the propaganda war evoked compassion on the part of the world, and that is why they needed the elderly and the children to remain. That was their most emotional propaganda weapon to draw the Americans into the war, and they didn't want that to weaken."In response Morillon said, “Well, I am not denying what Lord Owen may have written.” He then went on to say that “the Bosniaks used the presence of their population, as you have just said, to keep the attention of the world focused on their situation, it is true, but similarly they prevented the evacuation from Srebrenica.”
So not only did the Muslims hold their population hostage in Sarajevo as a propaganda ploy to win world sympathy, but they did the same thing in Srebrenica where, as Morillon explained earlier, Nasir Oric was terrorizing even the Muslim population.
Morillon explained in his statement that "The aim of the [Bosnian Muslim] Presidency from the very outset was to ensure the intervention of international forces for their own benefit, and that is one of the reasons why they never were inclined to engage in talks. In those days, the Serbs were ready for talks since they considered that they were winning. Whenever such an agreement was signed on humanitarian corridors, the problems came from the Presidency. Finally, the corridors would be accepted. The beginning of their implementation was to be the withdrawal of heavy weapons, which should have taken place at 1700 hours on the 24th of December. However, on that day, my residence in Sarajevo was shelled. The shell was fired by the Bosnian forces. That is quite certain."
http://slobodan-milosevic.ihostsites.net/news/smorg030904.htm
I mean the airport.
UNPROFOR troops patrolling the area were determined to upkeep UN impartiality, often at a terrible expense, as the engineer of the tunnel Nedzad Brancovic recalls: "As we ran across the airport the UN troops tried to stop us. They would chase us and shine big lights in our direction. The (Serb) snipers would lie in wait and shoot many of those left defenceless in the glare of the spotlights…"
An estimated 250 people were killed trying to leave Sarajevo via this route.
As supplies ran low and as levels of aid were barely sufficient to feed the people; desperate measures needed to be taken. It was at this time that Brancovic was summoned by the hierarchy of the army and given the task of building a tunnel that would offer a safe route to Mt Igman.
Work began in March 1993 and took 3 months to complete. For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, teams of soldiers and former miners would dig from either end of the UN controlled airport using little or no real tools.
Co-ordinating the efforts of the 120 men involved became a logistical nightmare, particularly as the engineers on both sides never actually met during the dig, and were only able to communicate with each other by running across the airstrip, as Brancovic recalls: “ I was very scared every time I had to run across the strip but there was no other way. I myself crossed over 20 times to see how the digging was progressing at the other side. Once I was caught by French troops and had my ribs broken.”
Despite such setbacks and the constant shelling by the Serbs they were eventually able to open up the tunnel that was to help feed the city and keep it alive for the remainder of the war. Measuring 770 meters it was a truly remarkable feat, and apart from providing an essential supply line to the soldiers on Mt Igman and a supply line for food into the city, the tunnel gave many the psychological boost that they so desperately needed. It came to be seen as proof that the Bosnians could organise and would eventually free themselves. At its peak the tunnel would see between 4,000 – 5,000 people going through it daily.
As the only safe land route into and out of the city, control of the tunnel ensured control of what left and what entered the city. Some saw the tunnel as an opportunity to profit personally and stories of corruption go hand in hand with stories of true heroism.
The ‘secret tunnel’ of Sarajevo provided food, electricity, gas and communications to the starved city and undoubtedly saved the city. How it was subsequently used and misused, highlight the conflicting sides of human nature, which come to light during wartime.
http://www.hadzic.org/secret%2Dtunnel/tunnel.htm
-I visited the tunnel during my tenure in Sarajevo. It's wery interesting. It was also used to bring Izetbegovic into the city.