Former Defence Minister Mr. Julián García Vargas Speaks this Afternoon on the Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Mr. Julián García Vargas, minister of Defence when Army deployment began in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992, will speak this afternoon on the initial design process of this operation.  The lecture –which is within the cycle dedicated to commemoration of the end of the mission – will take place this evening at 8:00 pm in the Military Culture and History Institute auditorium, 3 Paseo de Moret Avenue in Madrid.

The officer who was the commander of the first Spanish force in the Balkans, General Francisco J. Zorzo, opened the lecture cycle on 5th May last.  The general spoke on the experiences undergone there, such as the difficulties of setting up detachments or making up the unit for its operational capability on-the-spot, as well as the missions undertaken in the area of operations.  He also commented on the initial difficulties related with the language and the contact with the conflicting factions in the war.  Lastly, he remembered the relationship with the civilian population, the distribution of humanitarian aid and the losses suffered in the Spanish force.

Participating in the lecture cycle – which will be carried out until 26th May next – will be some of the main actors involved in the mission, among them the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ignacio Martín Villalaín. The Bosnian-Herzegovinian ambassador to Spain, Ms. Zeljana Zovko, will speak on the presence of the Spanish Army in her country during the day of the closing ceremony, in charge of which will be the Chief of the Army Staff, General Fulgencio Coll.