January 12, 2001

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONCERNED
ABOUT THE "BALCANS SYNDROME"

Our Government expresses a great concern about information regarding the use of depleted uranium ammunition in BiH, and also information about linkage of mortality and morbidity of the peace-keepers with deployment in BiH. We express even a greater concern about the fact that neither the respective institutions nor public were knowledgeable of the use of such ammunition. It sheds frustration and raises questions on the unknown types of materials used in the region that we are unknown of.

Fulfilling their duties, our Federal institutions observe the environmental status (but within technical and personnel limitations available). The level of radiation is also monitored under this scope. To date, we have not registered the increased level of radiation be it in the soil, water or biosphere (however, failure to register does not necessarily exclude its presence).

At the same time, the Federal Institute of Public Health monitors malign diseases occurrence from the epidemiological point of view. According to their information, some increase in the malign diseases morbidity rate has been noted in the last years. However, the reasons may be multiple: improved registering, inability of early detection during the war, stress caused by the war, changes in the life style, for example increased smoking; but also contamination of environment should be taken into consideration. However we are not in a position to present comparative data for the years 1995 - 1999, bearing in mind that during the war the previously mentioned institutions either did not exist or the war circumstances made their work difficult (sometimes even impossible) because of the broken communications.

However, the more reliable figure is a mortality structure in 1999, which shows that, out of the total number of died, 87 died from the diseases of the lymphatic and hematopoethic tissue. Respective percentage to this figure is 3,38 and, according to experts interpretations, does not significantly decline from the previous periods. (These diseases could be even more directly linked to the potentially increased level of radiation).

We follow-up and document all cases that may be linked to this and I can say that we already dispose with information that at least one of our youngsters, who had been working for the peace-keeping forces got sick of malign diseases of the lymphatic system and regretfully, died.

At this moment, we surely know that the depleted uranium ammunition was used in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (10,800 projectiles, according to the Pentagon information).
What we also know for sure is that at least 6 (8?) Italian soldiers and still unconfirmed number of other countries troops soldiers deployed in the area died from leukemia and similar diseases.

This is a ground base for making a conclusion that this issue must be addressed extremely seriously and investigated from all aspects.

It is my personal opinion that there is but a slight likelihood that a cause of an increased number of sick and dead is radiation from the remains of depleted uranium. But, depleted uranium is harmful for the health from the chemical prospect, too. In short, it is too early to jump to some ultimate conclusions. There is a cause to it but it must be determined.

At the end, our public has been frustrated with a perception that BiH was turned into some kind of an anthropological experiment (sociological, political or military?), for which we want to cease.

Yesterday, together with my assistants, I held a meeting with an SFOR delegation, discussing this problem from various aspects. We were explained that SFOR firmly stands on the point that depleted uranium is not a cause of an increased number of leukemia and similar diseases. We were assured that all relevant findings from the environment investigations important for the problem, will be shared with us.

Also, we were informed that SFOR Command currently creates the maps of the locations where depleted uranium ammunition was used. Once the maps are created, they will be shared with us, too. We reached an agreement that all relevant information will be exchanged.

Federal Government and the Council of Ministers adopted an information prepared by the Federal Ministry of Health, and decided to found a special National Commission, which will investigate all allegations regarding the "Balkans Syndrome".

We shall seek for the technical and financial assistance from the international community, primarily from UN, EU, WHO, IAEA, WB, in order to comprehensively investigate the entire problem.

We have already asked for UNEP experts, who carried out a similar investigation in Kosovo, also expand their work to BiH.