[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[May 28, 1992]
[Page 839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Humanitarian Assistance to 
Refugees in Yugoslavia and the Caucasus

May 28, 1992
    The United States will contribute $9 million for humanitarian 
assistance to refugees and displaced people in the former Yugoslavia and 
$4 million for humanitarian assistance to victims of conflicts in the 
Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union. This includes the new 
Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
    The situation in the Yugoslav former republics has created the 
largest movement of persons in Europe since the end of World War II. The 
total number of refugees and displaced persons in Yugoslavia, according 
to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has now 
reached 1.3 million. Over 480,000 persons, mostly Slavic Muslims, have 
fled Bosnia and this number is growing daily. Six million dollars of 
this contribution will go to the UNHCR in support of its programs to 
assist refugees and displaced persons, especially those in Bosnia and 
Croatia. Three million dollars will go to the International Committee of 
the Red Cross (ICRC) in support of its efforts to aid the victims of the 
terrible conflict now raging.
    This $9 million contribution is in addition to earlier contributions 
this year of $7 million. The United States also launched an emergency 
airlift of food and other relief assistance to aid war victims in 
Bosnia-Hercegovina. Five planes flew into Sarajevo carrying blankets, 
food, and medical supplies.
    The United States contribution for victims of conflicts in the 
Caucasus will be given to the ICRC in support of its humanitarian aid to 
war victims, refugees, and other vulnerable groups, especially in 
Armenia and Azerbaijan. Over the past 2 years, the Caucasus has 
experienced an increase in ethnic strife leading to armed conflicts in 
the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and in the South Ossetian area 
of Georgia.