The Bosnian army fired four heavy weapons from inside the 20 kilometer exclusion zone around Sarajevo at Bosnian Serb positions, drawing a harsh rebuke from UN peacekeepers.
"The United Nations is aware of four Bosnian government heavy weapons inside the exclusion zone currently firing at the Bosnian Serb Army," UN spokesman Alexander Ivanko said.
"This is an outrageous action and we will be protesting to the Bosnian government at the highest level," he added.
Bosnian Serbs were forced to pull their heavy weapons back outside the exclusion zone in September in exchange for a halt to NATO air strikes against them.
The Moslem-led Bosnian government had agreed not to use its own heavy weapons to attack the Serbs from inside the zone.
"Now we will see the Serbs demanding to be allowed to bring their heavy weapons back inside the exclusion zone to attack government gun positions," said a UN official who asked not to be named.
In Croatia, the Zagreb government and Serb insurgents occupying its Eastern Slavonia region agreed on a preliminary set of "guiding principles" aimed at a settlement of their dispute, UN envoy Thorvald Stoltenberg said.
"These basic principles represent an important first step to peacefully resolve the question," he said in the town of Erdut, located on the Croat-Serbian border.
Stoltenberg and Peter Galbraith, the U.S. ambassador to Croatia, mediated at the talks in Erdut between Croatian envoys and leaders of local Serbs who have held the area since 1991.
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.