Rebel Serbs Threaten Fragile Truce

COMBINED REPORTS


SARAJEVO -- The Bosnian government Monday accused rebel Serbs of threatening a fragile four-month truce by ignoring some of its key elements and objected to what it saw as weakening of the Contact Group's peace plan.


The charge against the Serbs was made by Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic after talks with Yasushi Akashi, the chief UN envoy to former Yugoslavia, at UN headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia.


Ganic cited the need for Croatian Serb forces to pull out of the northwest Bihac region, and the opening of "Blue Routes" linking Sarajevo with other government-held territory in Bosnia.


The Croatian Serbs so far have not withdrawn across the border, he said, and the access routes around Sarajevo have not been opened.


Ganic said he had asked Akashi "to push very hard to see this agreement be implemented. Otherwise, it will collapse altogether."


Akashi would push to solve the problems, and if he is unsuccessful the issue will go to the UN Security Council, Ganic said.


While the pullout is provided for by the latest truce pact, the Croatian Serbs as well as rebel Moslems, who both have been fighting government forces in the northwest, are not party to the agreement. Another stumbling block was a dispute over the withdrawal of government troops from a demilitarized zone on Mount Igman south of Sarajevo.


UN troops planned an inspection to see if the last position held by government forces had been vacated.


On Sunday, the Serbs insisted on withdrawal of government troops from two points east of the demilitarized zone as well. The latest condition was made by Bosnian Serb military commander General Ratko Mladic, who met with the UN commander for Bosnia, Lieutenant General Sir Michael Rose.


It seemed unlikely the government army would accept such a demand, which would wipe out gains from the army's offensive in the mountains south of Sarajevo last fall.


Also in Sarajevo, Richard Holbrooke, the visiting U.S. assistant secretary of state, said the Contact Group, consisting of representatives from the United States, Russia, France, Britain and Germany, would travel to Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade starting Wednesday to try to get talks on a longterm peace plan going again.


But Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic complained that the Contact Group had failed to back up its promise to punish the Bosnian Serbs for not accepting the peace plan which would give the Bosnian Serbs 49 percent of Bosnian territory, down from 70 percent they now hold.


Holbrooke was interrupted by Silajdzic while telling reporters that the five-nation Contact Group wanted the warring parties to accept the peace as a basis for new negotiations.


"That is your position, Mr Holbrooke. But for Bosnia-Herzegovina the plan was 'take it or leave it.'"


Silajdzic recalled that the plan was originally a NATO-backed unconditional deal requiring the powerful Bosnian Serbs to cede conquered land.


"When we were asked to sign it, it was take it or leave it. Now it seems that the (Contact Group) position has shifted a little bit, since the aggressors (Serbs) rejected it. We took it," Silajdzic said after a second day of talks with Holbrooke.