Joint Statement (Igalo Ceasefire Agreement)

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Country/entity: Croatia
Yugoslavia (former)
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Joint Statement (Igalo Ceasefire Agreement)
Date: 17 Sep 1991
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Balkan Conflicts (1991 - 1995) (1998 - 2001)
Former Yugoslavia

The disintegration of former Yugoslavia post cold war saw conflicts which became mediated and produced peace agreements in Slovenia (where the brief independence conflict was mediated by the EC Troika in 1991), Croatia (between Croatian and Serb populations 1991-1995), in Bosnia (between Croatian, Serb and Bosniak populations 1992-1995), in Macedonia (where mediation played a key pre-emptive role in preventing large scale conflict in 2001), in Kosovo (between Kosovar Albanians and Serbian population and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), but also between FRY and NATO, 1998-1999), and a conflict in the Presevo Valley (between Albanians in South Serbia and FRY, 2000-2001). The continued fall-out of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia also saw mediated agreement and ultimate dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 1991, after nationalist parties won the first multi-party elections in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a violent process of disintegration commenced. With its mixed population, Bosnia-Herzegovina became the centre of the following civil war that began in 1992 between the newly formed army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Muslim Bosniacs), and the parastatal forces of self-declared Bosnian Croat (Herzeg-Bosnia) and Bosnian Serb (Republika Srpska) entities within Bosnia-Herzegovina, supported by Croatia and Serbia, with various, often short-lived, coalitions. The General Framework Agreement (Dayton Peace Agreement), signed in 1995, split the country into two ethno-federal entities, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska, and included continued peacekeeping and institutional administration by international actors.

Kosovo

The conflict between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians has a long history and always involved territorial disputes as well as ethno-political, cultural and linguistic factors. The most recent phase of the conflict began in November 1997 when the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UCK) began their campaign for the independence of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY – then Serbia and Montenegro). The subsequent war lasted until the NATO intervention, which undertook bombing campaigns of Belgrade and other places in Serbia during spring 1999. The main agreements solving the conflict were internationally driven and, finally, a UNSC resolution imposed a post-conflict arrangement in the wake of what was essentially a NATO military victory. In February 2008, Kosovo’s parliament declared independence, but independence is still internationally disputed.
Stage: Ceasefire/related
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Croatia negotiation process
Parties: Presidents of the republics of Croatia and Serbia; the Minister of National Defence
Third parties: Lord Carrington introduced the statement, as a member of the Arbitration Commission of the Conference on Yugoslavia.
Description: -

Agreement document: HR_910917_Joint Statement (Igalo Ceasefire).pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1,
We therefore pledge ourselves that everyone within our control and under our political and military influence should cease fighting immediately. When forces are closely intertwined, there are inevitable problems of provocation, real or imagined, and retaliation. It is therefore imperative for the forces on the ground instantly to withdraw sufficiently to guarantee a genuine and total ceasefire. This means that instantly and simultaneously all armed formations, including the paramilitary forces, irregular units, the Croat National Guard and the JNA [Yugoslav Peoples Army] shall withdraw from immediate contact and from actual or previous areas where hostilities have take[n] or are taking place...We welcome readiness of the EC Monitors to oversee such a cease-fire, and we undertake to facilitate their work in reasonable conditions.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: Page 1,
We therefore pledge ourselves that everyone within our control and under our political and military influence should cease fighting immediately. When forces are closely intertwined, there are inevitable problems of provocation, real or imagined, and retaliation. It is therefore imperative for the forces on the ground instantly to withdraw sufficiently to guarantee a genuine and total ceasefire. This means that instantly and simultaneously all armed formations, including the paramilitary forces, irregular units, the Croat National Guard and the JNA [Yugoslav Peoples Army] shall withdraw from immediate contact and from actual or previous areas where hostilities have take[n] or are taking place. All paramilitary forces and irregular units shall disarm and disband; the Croat National Guard reserve forces shall be demobilized; the JNA shall return to barracks. This process too shall be immediate and simultaneous.
DDR: Security sector→DDR→Demilitarisation provisions
Page 1,
...All paramilitary forces and irregular units shall disarm and disband; the Croat National Guard reserve forces shall be demobilized; the JNA shall return to barracks. This process too shall be immediate and simultaneous...
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 1,
We therefore pledge ourselves that everyone within our control and under our political and military influence should cease fighting immediately. When forces are closely intertwined, there are inevitable problems of provocation, real or imagined, and retaliation. It is therefore imperative for the forces on the ground instantly to withdraw sufficiently to guarantee a genuine and total ceasefire. This means that instantly and simultaneously all armed formations, including the paramilitary forces, irregular units, the Croat National Guard and the JNA [Yugoslav Peoples Army] shall withdraw from immediate contact and from actual or previous areas where hostilities have take[n] or are taking place. All paramilitary forces and irregular units shall disarm and disband;...
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: Lord Carrington introduced the statement, as a member of the Arbitration Commission of the Conference on Yugoslavia.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1,
...We welcome readiness of the EC Monitors to oversee such a cease-fire, and we undertake to facilitate their work in reasonable conditions.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Trifunovska, Snezana (ed.), Yugoslavia Through Documents: From its creation to its dissolution (Dordrecht, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1994), pp. 344-345.

Statement by Lord Carrington, The Presidents of the republics of Croatia and Serbia, and the Minister of National Defence

Igalo, 17 September 1991

This country is only days away from a state of irretrievable civil war.

On that at least there is no argument.

I therefore call upon the three leaders most directly concerned with the current grievous loss of life to come together, before the Yugoslav peoples and the peoples of the world, to state the following without equivocation or reserve:

“There are deep and dangerous divisions between us about the responsibility for what is now happening in Yugoslavia, and equally about the political future of this country.

But on one thing we are united:

that no viable solution for our peoples can result from violence and killing, and that we must talk together to determine if we can agree the future relationship between our peoples.

We therefore pledge ourselves that everyone within our control and under our political and military influence should cease fighting immediately.

When forces are closely intertwined, there are inevitable problems of provocation, real or imagined, and retaliation.

It is therefore imperative for the forces on the ground instantly to withdraw sufficiently to guarantee a genuine and total ceasefire.

This means that instantly and simultaneously all armed formations, including the paramilitary forces, irregular units, the Croat National Guard and the JNA [Yugoslav Peoples Army] shall withdraw from immediate contact and from actual or previous areas where hostilities have take[n] or are taking place.

All paramilitary forces and irregular units shall disarm and disband;

the Croat National Guard reserve forces shall be demobilized;

the JNA shall return to barracks.

This process too shall be immediate and simultaneous.

We welcome readiness of the EC Monitors to oversee such a cease-fire, and we undertake to facilitate their work in reasonable conditions.

We recognize that this is the last chance for a de-escalation and cessation of actual warfare without which there can be no meaningful negotiation on the future of our peoples.

We are fully conscious of the heavy responsibility we share at this crucial moment in our history.”