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http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/worthington.html THE TORONTO SUN, Thursday, April 18, 2002 A matter of honour Dutch cabinet resigns over Balkan military scandal By PETER WORTHINGTON -- Toronto Sun Finally, an elected government willing to do the right thing. Not the Canadian government, of course, where things like principle and honour have been diluted, but the Dutch government, which recognizes propriety and responsibility. Prime Minister Vim Kok and his cabinet resigned en masse Tuesday in light of a report blaming the UN, the Dutch government, its army, and especially its senior commanders who sought to cover up the massacre of some 7,500 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serbs at the UN's "safe area" of Srebrenica in July, 1995. That's when some 110 lightly armed Dutch soldiers failed to prevent Europe's biggest massacre since World War II. The day after the government resigned, the Dutch army's top general resigned, too. "But for the grace of God it could have been Canadian soldiers rather than Dutch," says retired Lt.-Col. David Moore, who commanded the Canadian battle group in Bosnia 1993-94. Troops under his command were virtually held hostage in Srebrenica for five months. Moore testified three times before Dutch investigators. He commanded 12th RBC, a Quebec armoured regiment, and had a company of 160 Van Doos under his command in Srebrenica. Originally, the Canadians were sent to Srebrenica for two weeks - which extended to five months. Eight times Moore tried to visit his troops there, but was prevented by the Serbs until the last time. His complaints to the Canadian government and the UN fell on deaf ears. DETAILED DIARY Later, when the Van Doos were caught in a scandal at the mental hospital in Bakovici, army brass tried to pin the blame on Moore - but his detailed diary cleared him and pointed to superiors who initially covered up the scandal. No senior officer took responsibility. Moore was totally exonerated, thanks to his keeping a record. As for the hot spot of Srebrenica, a Ukrainian unit was originally supposed to take over from the Canadians, but the Ukrainians were so tight with the Serbs and involved in black market activities that they were disqualified. British units were considered, then French, then the Nordic battalion, which refused because it was too dangerous. The Dutch were keen. The Netherlands government wanted a bigger role in Balkan peacekeeping and their elite Air Mobile Brigade was eager for a mission. Dutch paratroopers replaced the Canadians - "big, tough dudes, capable of dealing with any situation," Moore recalls. But by 1995, the paras were replaced with Dutch conscripts. And when all hell broke out, they did nothing to prevent the massacre. Their commanders fudged their reports to dodge responsibility. What would the Canadian soldiers have done had they still been in Srebrenica instead of Dutch conscripts? "My guys would have fought," says Moore. "There'd have been big shooting. As for the Van Doos - they answered to themselves and, frankly, I don't know." It was Van Doos at Bakovici who resented any but their own officers commanding them - a Teflon regiment that then-army commander general Maurice Baril absolved from responsibility. He blamed their problems on Moore. Some of Moore's troops were briefly held hostage by Serbs at the village of Ilyas, and when neither the UN nor Ottawa gave directions, Moore acted on his own and mobilized his armour to go in and rescue his men. At this show of resolve, the Serbs backed down and freed the Canadians. Would similar resolve have deterred a massacre at Srebrenica? "Maybe," says Moore. "The Dutch Air Mobile guys wouldn't have stood by, nor would my troops. But the Dutch conscripts weren't much good and the UN was hopeless." "Humanitarian motivation and political ambition drove the Netherlands to undertake an ill-conceived and virtually impossible peace mission," the Dutch report concludes, calling it "a deliberate attempt by the army to ... limit the flow of information and to avoid sensitive issues." Sounds alarmingly like the DND and the Canadian military, where whistle-blowers and those who tell the truth are blamed, and the media accused of muck-raking when they reveal scandals. By resigning, the Dutch government has restored some honour, accountability and principle to itself. [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
