Women Beaten, Thugs on Violence Spree
As Fragile Dayton Accord Put to Test
Fires raged unattended in a Serb-held Sarajevo suburb as NATO troops patrolled its streets in armored vehicles, trying to preserve some vestige of order ahead of its transfer to Muslim-Croat federation control. At least seven major fires were burning in Grbavica late on Sunday and the flames were clearly visible from the center of the Bosnian capital.
Alarmed by the turmoil in Sarajevo's suburbs and by fresh tensions within the federation, the leaders of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia were due to meet Western envoys in Geneva Monday to discuss the problems facing the Dayton peace agreement.
U.S. Secretary of State Calls Emergency
Summit on Bosnia in Geneva
Complete Details
Secretary of State Warren Christopher was expected to enjoin the warring Balkan factions to pursue the Dayton aim of a multi-ethnic Bosnia—an aim seriously undermined by an exodus of Serbs from Sarajevo's lawless suburbs.NATO Arrests Arsonists, Serbs Set Them Free
Despite a beefed-up NATO presence in Grbavica, fleeing Serbs seemed bent on leaving nothing but charred and gutted buildings to show their contempt for the Dayton peace deal, under which the area comes under federation control Tuesday. Italian soldiers detained a dozen men suspected of torching buildings in Grabavica Sunday but Bosnian Serb police, who still had the final say on such matters, quickly released them. The detentions appeared to signal a tougher NATO stance against the lawlessness in Grbavica in the countdown to its transfer. NATO officers had previously ruled out preventing arson and looting as ``police work'' outside its mission.The mostly elderly residents who sought to stay in Grbavica, estimated at 1,000 to 2,000, continued to face intimidation by extremists. A small number of Muslims and Croats were the most vulnerable as Serbs vented their anger. An official for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had two women had been beaten up in the past 24 hours. No other details were available on the attacks.
Izetbegovic Condemns the Violence
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic condemned looting and intimidation of Serb residents in the Sarajevo suburb of Ilidza, which transferred to federation rule last week. "We want a united and democratic Bosnia, they (Serb leaders) want a divided and ethnically cleansed Bosnia," he wrote to the federation interior minister. "Our aims are diametrically different from their aims. So our ways and methods must also be different." Izetbegovic, beset by poor health, will be represented at the Geneva talks by Bosnia's acting president Ejup Ganic. One issue on the agenda will be cooperation by the ethnic factions with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague.Progress in War Tribunal Recognition
The tribunal's deputy chief prosecutor Graham Blewitt met separatist Serb leaders in Pale, the Bosnian Serb "capital" outside Sarajevo. Local media quoted him as saying his talks with Bosnian Serb prime minister Rajko Kasagic were "very successful" in helping to establish ties between Pale and the tribunal. The Bosnian Serbs have previously refused to recognize the tribunal, which has indicted their president Radovan Karadzic and his army commander General Ratko Mladic for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
New York Times NATO Troops Have to Watch as Sarajevo District Burns
CNN Bosnia peace brokers prepare to meet in Geneva
Berserkistan Weekend Coverage of Grbavica
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