BOSNIA: BANJA LUKA: BRITISH TROOPS ENTER TOWN скачать в хорошем качестве

BOSNIA: BANJA LUKA: BRITISH TROOPS ENTER TOWN

(26 Dec 1995) Eng/Serbo-Croat/Nat British troops have entered the Serb stronghold of Banja Luka. B-Squadron of the Light Dragoons, who are serving in Bosnia as part of the NATO-led IFOR team, rolled into town Tuesday morning. It is the first time any NATO troops have entered the town which has been earmarked as the capital of the Republika Srpska, the Serbs' autonomous region in Bosnia. At 9 a.m. sharp, B-Squadron moved off from their temporary base at Krupa and headed towards Banja Luka. It is the first time that any foreigners had entered the city since the war. The United Nations never ventured this far into Serb territory. The move into Banja Luka is part of the IFOR operation to police the U-S-brokered Dayton peace accord. B-Squadron has moved into a builder's yard near the town's market. They will stay here for two days before heading off to Prijedor further west. There was relief that their arrival went smoothly. SOUNDBITE: (English) People could react badly. It could trigger off bad memories of what they have suffered during the war and that's why I'm relieved that we've got in cracking order and that there's been no adverse reaction. SUPERCAPTION: Major Robert Polley, British IFOR commander These men will now have the job of patrolling the confrontation line between the Serb Republic and the Bosnian-Croat Federation. Banja Luka is a town full of refugees, many of them Bosnian Serbs who fled other parts of western Bosnia ahead of the Bosnian government and Croat offensive this summer. They talk of the unrelenting poverty. But all are united in one thing -- they are glad the war is over. Vjlko Ljuduja served in the Serb army for four years. Before the war he was an electrician. He says there is no need for IFOR. SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat) "The most important thing is to stop the war. My personal opinion is that we can do this without NATO." SUPER CAPTION: Vjlko Ljuduja, Bosnian Serb soldier At the town's market, there is optimism that this new phase of peace will last. SOUNDBITE: "I think everything will be much better now that the war is stopped. There will be peace." SUPER CAPTION: VOXPOP Under the Dayton peace accord, the refugees will be allowed to return to their homes. But whether any of them will do so is another matter. Bosnia's war has created more than 2 million refugees -- it will be a hard task to return them home. IFOR has one year to do it's job -- then the troops will pull out. What happens then is anyone's guess but for the time being these Serbs can enjoy a little peace -- a peace that 13-thousand British troops are hoping they will help to maintain. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...