SFOR officials keeping Tuzla's airport
closed until deficiencies are corrected
By Keith Boydston,
Bosnia bureau
Ivana Avramovic / Stars and Stripes
Tuzla International Airport , near Eagle Base in Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
EAGLE BASE, Bosnia and Herzegovina — In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks in the United States, Stabilization Force officials suspended commercial and
private flights into the Tuzla International Airport — an airport that operates near
the main U.S base in Bosnia and shares its airfield.
Since then, the airport remains closed. And SFOR officials said they will not open it
until airport authorities correct several deficiencies.
"We recognize the importance of the airport to the local economy, but until
[airport authorities] are able to ensure that our requirements are met, the airport will
remain closed," said Army Col. Bruce Pagel, the staff judge advocate for
Multinational Division-North at Eagle Base.
"We have to know exactly what they want and how they want it," said Mustafa
Terzic, the airport’s director, on Monday. "What they wrote to us was too
general."
But an SFOR official said the issues have been clearly outlined.
"We’ve provided the airport manager with clear options on what to do,"
Pagel said. "It’s a matter of [the airport director] being proactive to make
sure these measures are met."
SFOR rejected a written request last month from the airport’s director to reopen,
citing insufficient security at the airport and lax customs procedures for arriving and
departing passengers.
"When they [airport officials] can demonstrate that they can secure the airport
properly and put the correct security procedures in place," they will be allowed to
reopen, Maj. Gen. H Steven Blum, commander of Multinational Division-North, said Tuesday
at a roundtable meeting of local journalists. "Right now, the airport is more of a
danger than a help."
SFOR has called for "a properly trained airport security force" available
around the clock. On many occasions prior to Sept. 11, SFOR had provided security for the
airport. But that will no longer be the case.
"Due to force structure reductions and mission requirements, it was inevitable
that we couldn’t continue to [provide security]," Pagel said. "Clearly, the
events related to [Sept. 11] not only accelerated the process, but made it
essential."
Airport officials must also ensure that security-screening equipment is available, and
they’ve been directed to correct inconsistent procedures in immigration, visa and
passport policies. SFOR officials said the airport previously did not accurately track
arriving and departing passengers.
"Tuzla International Airport simply needs to meet international and European
standards for security," Pagel said. "They have the responsibility for executing
the security requirements, and [SFOR] has the responsibility to make sure those
requirements are met."
Airport authorities want to meet with SFOR representatives. SFOR officials want to see
the airport’s security plan first.
"We’ve invited them to submit a plan in writing, and we’ve promised to
review it thoroughly," Pagel said. "Depending on the content, we would certainly
consider a meeting."
The Tuzla airport originally opened in October 1998. About 30 people work at the
airport, and except for a few security guards now patrolling the vacant terminal, most
employees haven’t worked since the shutdown.
Airport officials declined to discuss the economic impact of the closure or when the
airport might reopen. The airport averaged about two flights a week before operations were
suspended.
"We would work on getting new flights and services, but we cannot until SFOR
allows us to reopen," Terzic said. "The talks with SFOR are ongoing and
we’re trying to fulfill their requests."
"SFOR is certainly not looking to be an obstacle, we’re anxious to reopen the
airport once the issues are adequately addressed," Pagel said. "But our
paramount concern is to ensure the safety of the citizens of Bosnia and SFOR forces."
Ivana Avramovic contributed to this report.
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