Sarajevo, September 21, 1997 (IKA/HINA) — In the Sarajevo Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious ceremony was conducted on September 20 for the twelve officials of the international community who perished on September 17 in a helicopter crash in central Bosnia. The ceremony was conducted by the archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, together with the military chaplain of the German SFOR (Stabilization Forces), the Rev. Herman Shliker; and the chaplain of the American units, the Rev. John Jackson.
Expressing condolences to all who were affected by this tragic event, Cardinal Puljić said, “While I raise my voice in prayer to God for those who perished in the mission of peace, I express gratitude for their lives that were sacrificed for peace in this tormented and devastated country.”
Remarks expressing recognition for the contributions made by the deceased officials in keeping the peace and last respects were also delivered by Klaus Kinkel, German minister of foreign affairs; Robert Gelbard, special envoy of the president of the United States; Kai Eide, special envoy of the general secretary of the UN; Carlos Westendorp, high representative of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Jadranko Prlić, minister of foreign affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ambassador Charles Crawford of Great Britain and Ambassador Jan Tombinski of Poland.
The remarks by Minister Klaus Kinkel included the following: “We mourn them and will not forget them. They worked hard for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. For the final recovery of this land, besides the international community, the peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina, themselves, shall have to work even harder.”
Those present at the Sarajevo Cathedral also included General Wesley Clark, commander of NATO Forces in Europe; Commander Eric Shinseki of SFOR, and the highest officials of Bosnia-Herzegovina: Alija Izetbegović, Krešimir Zubak, Haris Silajd i and numerous representatives of the governments of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.