Bosnia - Karadzic Demands Viable Serb State

(15 Aug 1995) T/I: 10:04:35 10:11:23 Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on Monday (14/8) welcomed the US-Russian peace initiative and said "any conference is better than none". He said, "we will take part in any conference. We do not accept the Bosnian state. We want our own state based on the right of self-determintaion and rights that have been extended to Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia. We also want a viable state, to have a Serbian territory inside and to be defensible." An international peace plan for Bosnia, put forward last year and rejected by the Serbs, gave Karadzic 49 percent of the former Yugoslav republic with 51 percent reserved for the Croat-Moslem Federation. Karadzic said he would not talk about these figures in advance of the conference. He said setting the percentages should be a result of the conference and not a precondition. SHOWS: BANJA LUKA, BOSNIA, 14/8 Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic's motorcade arriving Bosnian Serb soldiers out of car Karadzic out of car and walks to camera Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic SOT: The muslim offensive has failed and we are successful in defending our territories but muslims are continuing to attack and i think they are trying to improve their own position before the conference." Reporter asking Karadzic about percentages Karadzic SOT: "Any conference is better than none. Talks are much better than fights. We are ready both for defending our territories or going to the conference. We will take part in any conference. Reporter asks Karadzic what would mean success to Bosnian Serbs as result of conference Karadzic SOT: We do not accept the Bosnian state. We want our own state based on the right of self-determintaion and rights that have been extended to Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia. We also want a viable state, to have a Serbian territory inside and to be defensible. We want a long lasting peaceful solution Reporter asks about change to percentage of territories Karadzic SOT: We have never accepted this percentage (of 49 between Muslims and Croats and 51 percent to Bosnian Serbs)." Karadzic insisted he would not talk about percentages. Percentages, he said, should be the result of the conference not a precondition for acceptance of a plan. Karadzic walks away and into building exterior building soldier standing by doorway 2.03 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...