[Letter from Mladic to Smith]
National Security Archive
Here, the Bosnian Serb general, Ratko Mladic, rebuffs the July 9 warning from UNPROFOR about the attack on Srebrenica [see Document 2]. Addressing UNPROFOR Sarajevo commander Gen. Rupert Smith, Mladic blames the Bosniak Muslims for refusing to disarm and using the enclave as a base for attacks on Se
Source: [Letter from Mladic to Smith] Date: Jul 10, 1995 Archive: ICTY Collection: Road to Dayton paved with genocide Nov 23, 2015
Re-typed, verbatim [from Mladic to Gen. Smith] - Source: ICTY
//0208-9224 - EDT Draft translation//
16/01/90 00:28 250 Pera SRNA - Serb News Agency - No: 17 816 - 06 - Date: 11 July 1995 - Pale
Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army No: 06/17 - 455 Date: 10 July 1995
To: The UNPROFOR Command - Sarajevo Personally to: General Rupert Smith
General, Sir
I received your letter from 9 July 1995. Srebrenica enclave was not demilitarized in the spirit of the agreement from 19 April and 8 May 1993. Muslims did not surrender their weapons, mines and explosives and combat means to UNPROFOR. Muslims took advantage of their special zone status and the presence of your forces for preparation and execution of terrorist and other combat activities against Serb population and the territory of Republika Srpska.
Allow me to remind you that from then until now Muslim forces killed 100 and wounded over 200 civilians in the attacks and with infiltrated sabotage terrorist groups. They burned many Serb villages along the zone and committed heinous crimes against civilians. In the last couple of days they started a wide military operation in order to link up with the enclave in the area of the Žepa village and they burned down the villages of Višnjača and Banja Lučica and killed the residents. In implementation of their intentions even the UNPROFOR members were not spared. Although your forces protected them they also became their victims.
Crimes committed against innocent civilians provoked /illegible/ in order to neutralize Muslim terrorist bases. Our activities are not directed against civilians and the UNPROFOR members who are deployed in the enclave. A certain number of UNPROFOR members who fled to our territory after their soldier was killed by Muslims saw that for themselves. They were properly accepted, accommodated, and made safe.
I assure you that, as far as we are concerned, UNPROFOR members can be completely calm and safe as they used to be until now.
I am convinced that your patience and better understanding of entire situation shall be useful to the peace in this area.
COMMANDER Lieutenant General Ratko Mladić
/signed stamped/