Ottawa Citizen
December 29, 2000
'Failed' soldier in charge in Kosovo
Scandal-plagued commander emerges as key NATO negotiator; Officer tarnished by Somalia affair
http://www.ottawa.citizen.com/national/001229/5013709.html
Scott Taylor
The Ottawa Citizen

Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen / An inquiry into the Somalia torture and murder case that led to the disbanding of the Canadian Airborne Regiment found that Col. Serge Labbe 'failed as a commander.' Yet Col. Labbe has emerged as a key negotiator for a Pristina-based NATO delegation charged with keeping the peace in Kosovo.

BUJANOVAC, Serbia -- With Yugoslav forces and Albanian guerrillas escalating their conflict in southern Serbia, a controversial Canadian officer has been appointed to handle delicate negotiations between the two factions and keep the shaky peace in Kosovo.

Colonel Serge Labbe, who was cited by the commission of inquiry into the notorious Somalia affair as having "failed as a commander," has emerged as the key negotiator for a Pristina-based NATO delegation charged with implementing last year's "technical agreement," designed to prevent a renewal of open warfare between Serbs and Albanians.

Since 1993, Col. Labbe has been thrust into the public spotlight on a number of occasions and was a central figure in the Somalia affair, the torture and murder case that led to the disbanding of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. An inquiry into the incident -- it was aborted before it could investigate any coverup -- upheld five allegations against Col. Labbe in its 1997 report. The commission's findings read in part: "We conclude that Col. Labbe failed as a commander."

Col. Labbe's promotion to brigadier-general was revoked following the Somalia revelations.

The beleaguered Canadian soldier also faced a Career Review Board after allegations of improprieties involving an officer's mess waitress in Kingston. He is still the subject of an active military police investigation and a separate probe by the Defence Department's ombudsman.

Tensions in southern Serbia have heightened since Nov. 21, when hundreds of Kosovar Albanian guerrillas executed four Yugoslav border guards and occupied a five-kilometre-wide demilitarized zone inside southern Serbia. After the ambush, it was Col. Labbe who personally returned the shattered bodies to the Yugoslavs. The victims had reportedly been hit by mortar fire, then executed by shots to the head.

The Yugoslav government has repeatedly denounced NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR) for allowing such a large-scale border incursion to occur without intervening.

Serbian military and police units have so far limited their actions to containment of the Albanian offensive, but a major "cleansing" operation of the occupied area by Yugoslav police is considered imminent.

Since the offensive began, NATO has denounced the Albanian actions but maintained that it will not tolerate any Serbian military counteroffensive inside the five-kilometre Ground Security Zone. In the days ahead, should the Yugoslav "cleansing" operation proceed, and diplomatic efforts fail, the Serbian military and NATO could again face a showdown.

At the centre of this brewing military storm is the scandal-plagued Col. Labbe.

Throughout the Somalia inquiry, Col. Labbe was a pivotal witness who confronted damning allegations from fellow soldiers and officers. As Commander of the Canadian contingent in Africa, Col. Labbe was alleged to have offered a "case of champagne" to the first paratrooper to kill a Somali.

In response to a shooting incident on March 4, 1993, in which one Somali was killed and one wounded, Col. Labbe claimed in an interview with CBC Radio that the two victims had been "armed" and were "trained saboteurs." Evidence uncovered by police investigators and revealed at the inquiry concluded the two Somalis were unarmed civilians.

Major Barry Armstrong, the unit medical officer, has maintained one victim had been executed at close range after being wounded. As one of the key witnesses to testify against Col. Labbe at the Somalia inquiry, Dr. Armstrong (now retired) is critical of Col. Labbe's current NATO assignment.

"I'm not sure why Labbe is even still in uniform" said Dr. Armstrong. "I don't think that he's best suited to serve Canada's interests. In Somalia he failed to serve his troops, his country and the UN mandate."

The former commissioner of the Somalia inquiry, Justice Robert Rutherford, said he was not surprised Col. Labbe was chosen as a NATO negotiator.

"After the government shut down our public inquiry, nothing surprises me anymore." he said.

Although he is technically the Deputy Head of KFOR's Technical Agreement Implementation Committee, Col. Labbe is recognized by the Serbian commanders with whom he negotiates to have far more real authority than his nominal superior, French Brigadier Bruno Neveux.

"Labbe is the one who makes all of the decisions and Neveux trusts his judgment on every issue," said one Yugoslav officer who, as part of the Army delegation that attends the weekly meetings with NATO, spoke only on the condition of anonymity (the meetings are presently considered to be at a very sensitive stage).

"We have been aware of Labbe's background for some time now, and we will voice our concerns about him if and when it becomes necessary to challenge his authority," he said.

Canadian Forces senior commanders have always maintained their faith in Col. Labbe. Chief of Defence Staff General Maurice Baril has repeatedly stated that Col. Labbe "remains the best colonel of the army."