Clinton Trip Official Says Bosnia Was Dangerous
Last night we received the following comment from retired Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, currently the director of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. In 2000 during the Clinton presidency, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador/Special Negotiator responsible for conflicts in Eurasia and Co-Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. He served both the Clinton and Bush administrations.:
I accompanied the First Lady on this trip while serving as the Director for Southern Europe at the State Department. We had been warned shortly before landing in Bosnia of security concerns on the ground (although I do not recall whether the possible threat was snipers). Mrs. Clinton and her daughter were moved to the C-17's cockpit, it was suggested that staff sit on their flak jackets and our aircraft did conduct a rapid and sharp descent to land at Tuzla Air Base.
On the ground the 1st Armored Division's extraordinary security measures were readily visible, including strategically placed armored vehicles and Apache attack helicopters hovering just above the airfield to ensure our protection. While a greeting ceremony did take place on the tarmac, my recollection is that it was briefer than had been originally planned.
As has been reported, there was a USO component to this visit that included Sheryl Crow and Sinbad (I, in fact, accompanied Sinbad for his performances at forward base camps). To reach the troops at these locations we traveled in a helicopter that flew an evasive zig-zag path just above the trees -- I was told -- to avoid potential ground fire. That, however, had been clearly deemed by the US Army to be insufficient for Sinbad's safety. We were accompanied throughout the day by Apache gunships to deal with any possible anti-aircraft threats or snipers. The flight into Tuzla, the helicopter rides across the wasteland of destroyed villages and farms, the security measures of the US armed forces, and the need to have 1,000s of armed US troops to maintain order would convey to no one a sense that it was particularly safe during Hillary Clinton's visit to Bosnia.
Was it foreign policy? Questions about relative safety have been accompanied by doubts about the significance of such foreign engagement by Senator Clinton. The March 25, 1996 Tuzla visit was part of a much larger program of stops in Germany, Italy, Bosnia, Turkey and Greece. The purpose of this trip was multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues. First and foremost the intent was to show support for the US troops serving in Bosnia (and their families who had remained behind in Germany when they were forward deployed), as well as those forces supporting our Bosnia operation from Aviano Air Base in Italy. The stops in Turkey and Greece -- which included meetings with the new political leadership in both nations -- were designed to underscore the importance of US relations with these two key NATO allies in advance of visits by President Demirel, President Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Simitis to Washington. In Turkey, Clinton also held meetings to show support for pressing women's issues and helped advance a groundbreaking interfaith dialogue among a broad group of religious leaders in Istanbul. Finally, in Olympia, Clinton represented the U.S. at the ceremony lighting the torch that would be used to open the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. There should be no doubt that such travel and activities advance the foreign policy interests of the United States.
12:10 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink
