Mr Major’s Comments on Bosnia – 26 May 1995

Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on Bosnia, made on 26th May 1995.

QUESTION:

[Mr Major was asked whether further air attacks on Bosnia could be expected]

PRIME MINISTER:

I think it is very difficult to make that judgement from here, it is possible there will be, but I think we will be guided, as ever, by the views of the Commanders on the ground. I certainly would not rule them out. If they seem to be necessary then we would support them.

QUESTION:

[Mr Major was asked if further escalation was inevitable]

PRIME MINISTER:

We have been trying very hard to avoid that for a long time.

QUESTION:

[Mr Major was asked whether that was the case]

PRIME MINISTER:

Well you say that but I don’t think that is wholly true. At the outset of these problems we faced the prospect that the dispute might have moved into a cross-Balkan war, that could well have happened, we might well have seen it moving down south to Kosovo, we might well have a complete explosion there, we might have had other people entering, we might have had a full scale Balkan war. And I think what people do not give credit for is the fact that that has been avoided. It is still a very messy situation but it could have been far worse.