Meanwhile, in another sign of rough going for the outsiders attempting to maintain Bosnia's fragile peace, Moslem refugees frustrated by lack of news about missing family attacked Red Cross and UN offices in Tuzla.
The land mine explosion Sunday -- and the cautious recovery operation -- point out the hidden dangers for NATO peacekeepers as they fan out across Bosnia. NATO officials say not more than 30 percent of the estimated 6 million land mines in Bosnia and Croatia have been marked. The area of central Bosnia where the Britons were killed had earlier been declared free of mines said Major Carol Haig, a spokeswoman spokeswoman for the British in Gornji Vakuf.
The British soldiers killed brought to seven the soldiers killed in accidents in the NATO-led mission since the deployment began in December.
In the northern city of Tuzla, hundreds of refugees ransacked a Red Cross building, smashing windows, and blocked traffic and pounded on cars outside the UN offices in a protest to draw attention to missing family members.
Two people were injured in the rioting, Tuzla hospital officials said. The demonstrators claim international officials have forgotten the people missing from Srebrenica and other eastern Bosnian areas that fell to Bosnia Serb forces last summer.
The International Red Cross, which oversees prisoner releases, blamed "aggressive and irresponsible" statements by the Bosnian government for inflaming the protests.
The Bosnian government is demanding information on thousands of missing people, many of whom are presumed dead.
The Red Cross said 112 prisoners still remain on their POW list following the release of more than 500 POWs during the weekend. A special international panel has been created to search for more prisoners.
In Belgrade, rump Yugoslavia made progress towards reintegrating itself into the world community, much of which had shunned it for its role in setting off the bloody 3 1/2-year Bosnian war, announcing Monday that it and Macedonia will soon recognize each other.
A brief announcement, carried by the state-run Tanjug news agency, said that the Yugoslav federal government approved an "agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Skopje."
It said the agreement will be signed by the two sides on an unspecified date. Serbia's President Slobodan Milosevic reportedly was scheduled to visit the Macedonian capital soon.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.