C. Wiebes - Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnië 1992-1995. De rol van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten - Engels

154Deutch’s successor. However, according to a prominent French military officer, the Senate, was tooppose Lake’s appointment as CIA director, partly because of the Croatian pipeline. 752A second tendency in the autumn of 1994 was that Clinton came under increasing pressurefrom the prospective Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole to lift the arms embargo againstBosnia. Dole described the embargo as outrageous and indefensible. 753 It must not be forgotten thatDole had a former Croatian as political adviser, and that the lifting of the arms embargo against Bosniaalmost automatically also meant lifting the same embargo against Croatia. Croatia would after all haveto forward the arms in transit to Bosnia. For the Croatian government it was therefore absolutelyunacceptable to lift the arms embargo for Bosnia only. 754 The American government had to dosomething to respond to this pressure, and on 28 October Albright submitted a draft resolution to theSecurity Council for lifting the arms embargo against Bosnia. This was more of a political gesture,because the implication of accepting this resolution would be that UNPROFOR would have towithdraw from Bosnia, 755 which the Americans definitely did not want.In November a law drafted by the Democratic senators Sam Nunn (Georgia) and GeorgeMitchell (Maine) came into force banning the use of government funds for the support of, or assistancein enforcing the arms embargo against Bosnia. This law was incorporated in the Defense BudgetAuthorization Bill. The consequence was that American vessels that took part in Operation SharpGuard no longer ‘diverted or delayed vessels that contained arms or other cargo for the purpose ofenforcing the arms embargo’ against Bosnia. This would also mean that the exchange of intelligence on756arms supplies would be stopped. This put the commander of the southern NATO command(CinCSouth), Admiral Leighton Smith, in a curious position relative to Force Commander Janvier andthe new BHC Commander Rupert Smith, 757 and the overall efficiency of the operation consequentlysuffered. 758 Lake himself described this as an ‘uneasy compromise with Congress’. 759Senator Dole also remained active on lifting the arms embargo against Bosnia; with this goal inmind he introduced Bill S.21 on 4 January 1995. According to Dole the bill also had an ulterior motive:‘[A] decision to arm the Bosnians would reduce the potential influence and role of radical extremiststates like Iran’ in Bosnia. It was clear that Iran had meanwhile started to be an important politicalfactor in Bosnia. On 7 June 1995 Dole stated:‘When those of us who advocate lifting the arms embargo point out that othercountries would also participate in arming the Bosnians, we are told that thiswould allow Iran to arm the Bosnians. Well, the fact is that the arms embargohas guaranteed that Iran is a key supplier of arms to Bosnia and administrationofficials have actually used that fact to argue that there is no need to lift thearms embargo. From statements made by State Department officials to thepress, one gets the impression that Iran is the Clinton Administration’s752 Confidential interview (1). Also: James Risen, ‘Closer U.S. role seen on Bosnia Iran arms pipeline’, Los Angeles Times,23/12/96. Lake later expressed regret that he had not informed Congress in good time. Senate Testimony by CIA Director-Designate Anthony Lake before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 11/03/97.753 Ed Vulliamy, ‘America’s Secret Bosnia Agenda’, The Observer, 20/11/94. Dole was very critical of UNPROFOR’sperformance and accused French troops of setting up a ‘Bihac pipeline’ to put Sarajevo under pressure. UNNY, DPKO,coded cables, Stoltenberg to Annan, Z-1588, 15/12/93 and ‘Dole seeks Investigation of UN Spending’, Associated Press,04/11/93.754 Owen, Balkans Odyssey, p. 47.755 UNNY, UNPROFOR, Annan to Akashi, no. 3545, 28/10/94. For the Security Council debate on the lifting of the armsembargo: see Chapter 10 in Part II.756 Interview with P. Neville-Jones, 15/11/01.757 Välimäki, Intelligence, p. 90.758 Congressional Record, Page: E1054, Letter by Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, State Department,Barbara Larkin to Hon. Lee Hamilton, House of Representatives, 24/04/96. Further: W. Drozdiak. ‘France, Russian WarnU.S. On Tilt Toward Bosnia’, The Washington Post, 17/11/94.759 Lake, 6 Nightmares, p. 145.