Bombs Over Bosnia

摘要

Like a signal whose full meaning still can't be divined, a plume of dark smoke last week hung over the town of Pale, headquarters of the Bosnian Serbs. Planes from at least three NATO countries—the United States, France and the Netherlands—had twice bombed Serb ammunition dumps. "There won't be any more talk about pinprick strikes," said one NATO official in Naples. "We're hitting them where it hurts." In retaliation for the NATO attacks, the Serbs went on a rampage. They shelled five of the six U.N.-declared safe havens in Bosnia, bringing carnage to Tuzla; ignored a U.N. demand to surrender heavy weapons around Sarajevo, and took U.N. military observers hostage, chaining them up at the damaged ammunition dump. That might have seemed provocation enough for a third attack. Instead, there was, says one NATO officer, a "decision to hold back a bit." Though some U.N. officials sounded tough, others Were making their customary noises about neutrality. "If you want to get on the side of the Bosnian government," said one U.N. official, "then leave us out and go in like Desert Storm." But that is the least likely of all scenarios for the future of Bosnia.