Yugoslavia Events Chronology, 1992 Jan. 2, 1992 Fed. air strikes on Daruvar andAdriatic island of Ugljan, rocket attacks on Zadar, clashes around Pakrac and Vinkovci even as army and Croat National Guard leaders agree to a cease-fire Jan. 3 New truce takes effect at 6pm; army claims Croatian forces east of Zag. take advan- tage of true to launch tank and artillery assaults between Novska and Kamensko; reps. of 159 political parties gather in Belgrade to call for a new Serbian-domi- nated Yugo. Jan. 4 Truce continues to hold with only minor clashes Jan. 6 Truce gains strength despite Serbian mili- tias refusing to accept terms Jan. 7 Yugo. jet shoots down EC observer helicop- ter killing 5 on board; fed. pres. Suspends air force commander, Gen. Zvonko Jurjevic Jan. 8 Fed. Def. Min. Kadijevic, who had resigned on Dec. 31, formalizes his decision and is replaced by hard-liner, Chief of Staff Blagoje Adzic; Milosevic tells Serbs in western Croatia to ignore Serb leader Milan Babic and obey the cease-fire; actions draw praise from Lord Carrington Jan. 9 Serbs in BH declare their own state and claim Sarajevo as their capital; Serbian opposition leader, Vuk Draskovic, head of Serbian Renewal Movement, is indicted in Belgrade for inciting violence and organizing pro-democracy demonstrations March 9 Jan. 10 Bombings of Catholic Church and 3 res- taurants in Mostar; army reservists fire on train and injure 2 near mili- tary airport in Mostar; army claims it was fired upon from train; Serb leader in Krajin region, Milan Ba- bic, denounces Milosevic for agreeing to UN peace plan; Croatian radio says 1 per- son dies in attack in Sunja (42 miles S of Zag.) Jan. 12 5 killed in clash in Baranja region near the Hungarian border; TANJUG blames Croats for launching the attack; other- wise, truce considered to be holding Jan. 14 50 UN observers arrive in Belgrade, Zag. Jan. 15 EC members recognize Croatian and Slo- venia as ind. states despite protests from remnants of fed. govt.; recognition for BH and Macedonia on hold Jan. 16 Serbian Premier, Radoman Bozovic, warns that violence will erupt if Croatia doesn't allow self-determination for ethnic Serbs; Milosevic says that Yugo. to be reformed by Serbia, Montenegro; Croatian For. Min., Zvonimir Separovic, says in Le Monde interview that Croatia's borders are negotiable, but only under peaceful conditions; shelling around Osijek Jan. 21 Talks being held in Pecs, Hungary fail to come to agreement on terms for the Yugo. army's withdrawal from Croatia Jan. 22 Macedonian parl. votes to withdraw its representatives from fed. parl. Jan. 26 UN undersecretary-general in charge of UN peacekeeping, Marrack Goulding, ar- rives in Belgrade for talks; Croatian radio claims that fed. troops fired anti-aircraft weapons on villages near Vinkovci (155 miles SE of Zag.), and al- so that troops fired 20 mortar rounds onto Croat positions near Osijek; army claims that Croats fired on fed. posi- tions around Dub.; fed. forces turn over 294 prisoners captured in seige of Vuk. to Croats Feb. 9 2/3rds of Krajina parl. agree to accept UN peacekeeping plan and deployment of troops despite opposition of Serb leader Babic Feb. 10 Babic counters opposition with 2nd vote in parl. which overturns 1st vote; Army Chief of Staff Adzic says Yugo. army will protect Serbs in Croatia if the peace- keeping effort collapses Feb. 12 UN envoy Vance recommends UN go ahead with deployment of forces Feb. 14 Fed. army shells Osijek, killing 3 Croat- ian soldiers; fist-fights break out be- tween several Serbs and Montenegrins and Macedonians in Macedonian town of Bitola; Tudjman gives unconditional support to UN peacekeeping plan Feb. 15 Croatian officials say that Croatian law and control should be reimposed in Serb- dominated areas of Croatia Feb. 16 Members of Krajina parl., meeting in Glina, vote to remove Babic from office; Babic rejects this action claiming that only 47 out of 161 deputies were present, but TANJUG says 74 voted for his dismissal, 8 were opposed, and 3 abstained Feb. 17 Babic accedes to peacekeeping deployment of 13,000 troops Feb. 21 UN Sec. Council agrees to deployment of 13,000 troops, the largest deployment since Congo crisis in 1960-1 Feb. 27 Milosevic declares to Serbian parl. that the war with Croatia is over, and admits for first time that Serbia had supplied Serbs in Croatia with arms; also calls for union of Serbia and Montenegro; Shelling of Osijek for at least 8 hours; over 200 shells fired at Vinkovci Feb. 29 Approximately 65% of voters turn out in BH to vote on ind. issue; 90% said to to be in favor March 1 Ind. referendum held in Montenegro; 66% turn out and 98% favor remaining in Yugo. March 2 Serbs seal off Sarajevo with barracades, as well as 3 other BH towns, in response to ind. vote, and open fire on crowd of 1,000 demonstrators, wounding 3; Muslims also erect barracades, but police take control of these March 3 Barracades dismantled in Sara. after a- greement between Serbs and BH govt.; Serbs are conceded more access to radio and TV and a greater voice in police ac- tivities; Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, says he doesn't think BH will be able to escape inter-ethnic war if ind. is gained; Serbs also claim that Muslims attacked Serbs in town of Pale; 2 reportedly killed in town of Gatsko (SW BH); German For. Min. Genscher calls for recognition of BH March 4 Fighting in Bosanski Brod (BH town, 41% Croat, 33% Serb) near Croatian border; 4 wounded before truce declared; mosque bombed in Prnjavor; police and fed. troops team up to patrol streets in Sara; BH pres. Izetbegovic walks through down- town Sara. to cheers of people; tells Le Figaro that 'there is a balance of fear, and I believe that for the moment, fear is conducive to peace'; Serbs re- portedly hijack police truck carrying explosives in Visoka (NE of Sara.); 2 army reservists hurt in ambush near Foca (S of Sara.) March 6 Preparations continue for large anti-Milo- sevic protest rally in Belgrade; organi- zers say they will have 10,000 unarmed guards to defend protestors; Belgrade TV reports that 579,000 people had signed a petition demanding Milosevic's ouster; head of Serbian Orthodox Church, Patri- arch Pavle, says he will conduct a memor- ial service for those killed a year ago during similar demonstration; Denmark sends 900 troops as part of early contingent for peacekeeping force; 1 killed in BH overnight bringing total to 9 thus far; 10,000 peace activists rally in Mostar March 7 Croatian defense officials say fed. army artillery attacked Osijek Saturday night killing 7, wounding 30; 2 soldiers (Croats?) killed in shelling in Dalmatia; artillery fire reported around Masic and Poljane (60 miles E of Zag.) March 8 UN peacekeeping commander, Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar, of India, and staff arrive in Belgrade; Nambiar says he is determined to succeed (2nd in command, French Gen. Philippe Morillon); Sarajevo to be head- quarters for multinational force March 9 About 40,000 gather for protest demonstra- tion in Belgrade marking 1-year anniver- sary of demonstrations that resulted in police repressions and 2 deaths March 11 Anti-govt. rally in Belgrade turns into all-night vigil held by high school and university students; vigil starts at 10pm Tuesday and continues well into next day; parl. opposition leaders, Zoran Hor- van and Mihaljo Kovac (Democratic Party) address the students March 18 Shelling of Osijek by Serbs wounds 8; Agreement reached by Serbs, Muslims, and Croats in BH for an ind. republic split into 3 autonomous regions (agreement must be verified in a referendum); UN peacekeeping forces begin to arrive March 21 Croat officials say that towns of Osijek and Gospic (inland from Adriatic) have been shelled by artillery March 22 Fed. artillery fires on Croat town of Neum in BH on Adriatic coast; fed. forces claim they have repulsed 200-man Croat at- tack in Baranja region near Hungary March 26 Muslim leaders reject EC-brokered peace plan for preserving BH; 11 Serbs killed in town of Sijekovac (out- side of Bosanski Brod); Serbian media claims they were massacred by members of Patriotic League, a combined Muslim- Croatian militia March 27 Self-proclaimed Serb parl. in BH declares its regions sovereign (leader, Momcilo Krajisnik); Muslim member of BH collective pres., Ejup Ganic, urges UN dispatch peacekeeping forces immediately to BH March 28 Fed. army says it will respond to any attacks on its troops or civilians (simi- lar statements marked beginning of civil war in Croatia in June '91) March 29 Fighting in northern Bosnia kills 3 des- pite newly-negotiated truce; 40 have died in the course of the past week; Croat re- fugees fleeing across Sava River into Croatia to escape fed. tanks which attacked before cease-fire deadline March 31 Serbs announce formation of their own police force in 'autonomous' areas of BH April 2 Commercial airflights resume in Croatia for first time since Sept. 1 (Aeroflot jet with only 3 passengers on board); Fed. troops shell Croatian towns of Vin- kovci and Valpovo killing 4 and wounding 12; fighting in NE Bosnian town of Bi- jeljina; Serbs block roads, while fac- tories, schools, and shops close; gun- fire in Neum and Mostar; reps. of all 3 groups meeting in Brussels agree to plan for defining autonomous areas in BH April 4 1,200 French members of UN peacekeeping force arrive in Rijeka; up to 50 may have died in fighting since April 2 in Baranja region and around Osijek; Croats claim that at least 24 have died (including 6 Croatian soldiers) in attacks in and around Osijek in 24 hour period; fighting around Bosanski Brod and Kupres in BH April 6 Serbian snipers, firing from headquarters of Serbian Democratic Party in Sarajevo Holiday Inn, kill 5 members of huge peace demonstration; Serb militiamen also fire on buses bringing more participants for rally into Sara.; Bosnian police storm hotel and arrest 6 gunmen; demonstrators turn on Parl. and demand formation of govt. of national salvation; Izetbegovic blames fighting on Serbs who oppose ind.; overnight shelling from Pale (Sara. sub- urb) kills 2; EC formally recognizes BH ind., but puts off recognition of Macedonia due to Greek opposition; Serbs in Banja Luka proclaim their own state within BH and declare they will join Serbia and Montenegro in new Yugo.; fighting between Serb and Muslim forces around Sara. airport April 7 US recognizes ind. of Slovenia, Croatia, and BH April 8 Izetbegovic and BH collective pres. de- clare state of emergency and assume con- trol over territorial defense force de- claring 'war is imminent' as fed. troops and Serbs move into the rep.; Izetbegovic calls on EC, UN and US to intervene and coll. pres. orders all loyal paramilitary groups to merge with security forces; Serbs fire mortars at Sara. suburbs from Serbian-controlled area of Lapisnica; Fed. troops claim victory against Croatian forces in area of Kupres (60 miles E of Sara.); villages of Zloselo and Osmanlije reportedly 'razed'; heavy fighting around Mostar between fed. troops and Croat mili- tias; Serb and Muslim militias battle a- round Zvornik (Drina River boundary with Serbia) and Kalesija; 150 reported dead in last week April 9 UN envoy Cyrus Vance says US and EC recog- nition of BH ind. has damaged peace process April 10 Zvornik said to be 'razed' as 10,000 Mus- lim refugees are found to have been chased from their homes by Serbian guerillas; US ambassador to Belgrade, Warren Zimmerman, delivers protest to Milosevic, blaming Yugo. army for the crisis April 11 Fed. army units attack Muslim-Croatian town of Modrica; Serbian plan said to be to drive out Muslims-Croats from strate- gic areas to create well-defined Serbian enclave; UN Sec. Gen. Boutros Boutros- Ghali sends Vance to BH to try to end the conflict; EC-sponsored talks underway in Sara. which causes Serbs to temporarily halt fighting in the city; more fighting around Mostar as Serbs seize hydroelectric dam on Neretva River; TANJUG reports fed. army officials as saying 320 Croatian fighters killed around Kupres (not ind. confirmed) April 13 Truce broken only 2 hours after having gone into effect as Serbs attack police in Sara., shell Visegrad and Foca, and proclaim 2 'Serbian autonomous regions' in NE Bosnia; mortar and artillery fire in Bosanski Brod; gunfire in Capljina, Stolac, and Zvornik; US issues sharp warn- ing to Yugo. that Serbian aggression is 'completely outside the bounds of civil- ized behavior'; US rep. to CSCE says intl. community should hold Serbian and Yugo. military leaderships responsible for ag- gression in BH April 14 Serbian chief-of-staff, Gen. Zivota Panic, says army can expect attacks on it in BH; Yugo. army takes over control of Visegrad sending thousands more fleeing for safety; BH For. Min., Haris Silajdzic, in Wash- ington asks for US assistance to prevent 'mass massacres'; US Sec. of State Baker says govt. has sent strongly worded note to Serbs; also announces that US is send- ing airlift of food and blankets to Sara., and that Dep. Ass. Sec. of State Ralph Johnson will accompany flights; Vance holds talks in Sara. and then heads for Belgrade; Greece announces that it will oppose intl. recognition of Macedonian ind.; Tudjman demands that Serbia halt its offensives in BH April 15 Serbs capture Foca; shelling in Sara.; spokesman for UN High Commissioner for Refugees says Serbs stop and confiscate 6 agency trucks carrying food and medicine for refugees in BH; Vance warns Tudjman to stay out of the BH crisis April 18 Serbs capture munitions factory in Vogosce (10 miles N of Sara.); fighting across the rep., and railway bridge across Neretva R. blown up, thereby isolating Mostar from rest of rep.; US shipments of food and medicine begin to arrive in Sara.; Serbian For. Min. tells US charge d'affaires that it is conducting a 'one-sided, non-objective and biased' policy regarding the crisis April 21 EC brokers a new truce April 22 Street-to-street fighting in Sara. as Serbs seek to gain control of downtown; fighting ebbs by midday, but continues into late afternoon in suburb of Ilidza as Muslims attack Serb-held area with mortars, and in nearby villages of Sokolovic and Butmir; fighting also in Bosanski Krupa (W BH), Derventa (N), Bosanski Brod and Bosanski Samac (on Croatian border) April 23 Artillery battles in Mostar; fighting a- round 3 towns on northern and western borders; leaders of BH factions and Yugo. army sign truce at Sara. airport, but signing is interrupted by sniper fire on them; overnight shelling of Sara. and Capljina by Serbs; Germany and Netherlands urge UN Sec. Council to hold emergency session to deal with the crisis April 24 Izetbegovic and Army Chief Adzic meet in Skopje and call for groups to respect the cease-fire, remove barracades, and unblock army bases; Yugo. army claims it has no- where to put troops if they leave BH; Army commander Milutin Kukanjac says, how- ever, that the army 'will be transformed in the way agreed by legitimate represen- tatives of its 3 peoples - Muslims, Serbs, and Croats'; Croatian radio says Serbs oc- cupy Bosnian town of Kula Grad on Serbia's border; gunfire reported in Serbian-held suburb of Sara., but police say it is in celebration of Orthodox Easter; EC moni- tors heading towards Derventa on Croatian border forced to turn back due to heavy fire April 27 Serbia proclaims new Yugo. state (Fed. Rep. of Yugo.), and new constitution which implies recognition of break-away republics; BH coll. pres. calls on Yugo. army to withdraw; heavy fighting occurs in Sara. at night; shelling of Mostar causes destruction to maternity ward in local hospital; UN High Commission on Refugees says it will reduce its 25-man staff in Sara. April 29 Heavy mortar fire in Mostar kills 8; Yugo. army commander refuses orders of Bosnian pres. to withdraw his troops; EC monitors withdrawn from 3 towns (Bihac, Banja Luka, Tuzla) for their safety; UN cuts back on refugee workers for Sara. and cancels plans for basing a logistics headquarters in Banja Luka April 30 Last 2 bridges linking NE BH (near Brcko) with Croatia destroyed by masked comman- dos; refugees fleeing the area are killed in explosions; refugee totals now near 400,000; fed. shelling of Sara. Muslim section; fed. shelling of Mostar leaves 3 dead; Serbs set fire to Muslim village of Moremislice (40 miles E of Sara.); fight- ing in Bosanska Krupa (W BH) leaves over 130 dead in week-long battles; Greek Premier Mitsotakis goes to Belgrade to meet with Milosevic; Yugo. establishes border posts with Croatia, Macedonia, and BH; CSCE admits Bosnia as 52nd member (Yugo. assents) May 1 13 people reported killed in fighting a- cross BH; tank, mortar, and machine-gun battles in Sara.; Yugo. army attacks TV tower on Mt. Vlasic outside Sara.; shell- ing overnight and in the afternoon in Mostar May 2 Bosnian attacks on military club in Sara. prompts fed. army to seize Pres. Izet- begovic when he comes into airport; army plans to exchange him for safe conduct of fed. convoy from Gen. Kukanjac's head- quarters out of Sara. May 3 Bosnians attack fed. convoy killing 4 and wounding 15 others, thereby jeopardizing release of Izetbegovic (released later that night); 8 children and 2 women killed in Yugo. air force raid on Croatian town Slavonski Brod (near BH border) May 4 Bosnia begs world for military help, if not men, then guns; Serb forces advancing into historic Basharshija (old town) dis- trict, and firing on Parl. building; jets attack TV relay station; Izetbegovic says he will ask CSCE for military help; US, in continuing attempts to act even- handed, says that Serbian forces 'clearly bear the heaviest blame'; UN envoy Marrack Goulding goes to Belgrade to try and ar- range another truce May 5 Yugo. coll. pres. says it will relinquish command of fed. troops in BH, and that fed. forces should be divided up according to their ethnic communities (80% of forces in BH are Serbs) May 6 Overnight fighting in Doboj (N BH), now in its 4th day; heavy fighting in Mostar where fed. army barracks are set on fire; Fed. troops continue to fire on Osijek in Croatia, killing 2 May 7 Fighting in suburb of Ilidza (Serb- controlled); Milosevic, in meeting with UN Undersecretary-Gen. Goulding, calls for immediate cease-fire and declares that 'no one in Bosnia is innocent' and that Serb paramilitary forces are not controlled by Serbia; TANJUG says army will complete partial withdrawal by May 19; State-run media in both Serbia and Croatia announce secret agreement by Bosnian Serbs and Croats reached in Graz, Austria, to parti- tion BH; Muslims not consulted but Serbs say they will be given small section call- ed 'Alija's Pashalik' (little domain, named for Izetbegovic) May 8 Milosevic purges top army leadership, fir- ing Acting Def. Min. Adzic, Bosnian com- mander Kukanjac, and 36 other generals and admirals; those purged represent old Yugo. partisan, communist, or former Tito sup- porters, and are replaced by younger, more aggressive nationalist Serbs; Army's new commander is Gen. Zivota Panic, 58, who is commited to Serbia standing up against western pressure May 9 2-day fighting death toll comes to 80 May 11 EC recalls its ambassadors from Belgrade, and postpones for at least 4 more weeks recognition of Macedonia; CSCE votes to exclude Yugo. from all decisions it takes regarding Bosnia until June; In Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Organization of the Islamic Conference condemns Serbian aggression and sends envoy to BH; Fighting very heavy in Sara., especially around Marshall Tito barracks (controlled by Muslim and Croat forces); fed. troops supposed to withdraw to another barracks under UN escort, but Serb militiamen move into the area to prevent their departure; Croatian radio reports that 90% of Mostar has been destroyed; Radio Belgrade says that army has been forced to fire on Mos- tar's 16th century bridge to dislodge Croatian snipers on either bank; Report of Croat and Muslim clash in Buso- vaca (30 miles NW of Sara.) as fed. troops withdraw from local barracks; Croats are refusing to submit to authority of new Muslim-Croat army; Belgrade paper, Borba, says that Serb militiamen are 'systematically murdering Sara.' by shelling the city day and night; paper also says that all Serbs are being forced by militia to join in fighting and terrorizing Muslims May 12 US follows EC lead and recalls mbassador Zimmermann in protest against 'Serb-led aggression', but State Dept. says the use of force 'is not an option' and that BH is not 'a national security interest' for the US; last EC observers in BH burn their records and leave; Bosnian Serbian Parl. says it will form own army, and names Maj. Gen. Ratko Mladic to head it; says it will carry out unilateral 5-day truce; 6 more killed in Sara. and Mostar; Serb tanks take control of center of Mostar, heavy casualties reported; shelling dam- ages TV tower in N. Sara.; In agreement with fed. army, Bosnian authorities to take control of airport while troops pull out of 4 Sara. barracks and central BH towns of Zenica, Travnik, and Konjic (all have Muslim majorities) May 13 Shelling in Sara. comes to end at 6am deadline for truce, but not before shells hit Bosnian pres. building, main shopping area, and train station; fighting around towns of Derventa, Modrica, and Doboj; UN Sec. Gen. Boutros-Ghali rejects call for peacekeeping force in BH saying it is too volatile May 14 Presidents of European central banks meet in Paris to discuss freezing Serbian as- sets, but news is leaked which weakens prospects for carrying out plan; cease- fire broken when mortars fire on hotel housing UN peacekeepers in Sara., this after Boutros-Ghali orders most of 300 mission members to withdraw to Belgrade or Zag.; EC discussion of trade sanctions against Serbia opposed by Greeks, French, and British May 15 UN Sec. Council demands withdrawal of Yugo. and Croatian armies from BH, and says that any change of borders by force is unacceptable; Council also calls for disarming all troops and militiamen in UN-protected sectors of Croatia, and di- rects Boutros-Ghali to consider ways to secure Sara. airport so as to allow sup- plies in; Bosnian For. Min. Silatdzic ap- peals to Sec. Council to create safety zone like the one for Kurds in Iraq; 6 hours of shelling overnight in Sara. despite truce; Boutros-Ghali says Muslims broke the truce; UN Commander Gen. Nambiar and 30 of his men cut off at his villa; 6 killed in fighting in Sara., and sniper fires into office of Izetbegovic; UN troops in Croatia scheduled to take control of Slavonia region captured by Serbs last year; Macedonian Pres., Kiro Gligorov, having met with Baker and Undersecretary Eagle- burger the day before, says he is disap- pointed that the US has not recognized his country; US trying to balance concerns of Greeks (who claim to fear Macedonian territorial claims against their own pro- vince of Macedonia) with those of the new state May 16 Truce breaks down with fighting in Sara. (7 dead) and in Tuzla (25 miles N, 11 dead) May 17 150 Serbs rally in Sara. to support BH during lull in fighting May 18 Red Cross convoy bringing medicine to Sara. hit by Serb rockets and mortars killing a passing civilian, and wounding 3 members of convoy, destroying 1 truck; Sara. has first night of relative calm, but fighting rages in Tuzla and Bihac; 30,000 people, including 20,000 Muslim refugees, trapped in Gorazde (E BH); 5 killed in Bosanski Samac (N BH, on Sava River); UN plans to send relief aid into Sara. by May 22nd; Russia now trying to mediate settlement May 19 US tells Bosnia that it will not send troops into that country; Bosnian For. Min. Silajdzic states 'My country has turned into a slaughterhouse...millions are threatened with starvation, lack of medicine and clean water and brutal ex- termination'; US State Dept. spokesperson Margaret Tutwiler says US has no national sec. interests in BH and, 'Where is it written that the United States govt. is the military policeman of the world?'; Between 3,000-5,000 mainly Muslim refu- gees trying to leave Sara. are stopped by Serbian troops and held in suburb of Ilidza May 20 Izetbegovic cannot get out of Sara. for new round of talks in Lisbon; UN abandons efforts to fly him out; Bosnian Serbs call for general mobilization of all Serbs in Bosnia; US suspends landing rights for JAT in retaliation for Serbian blockades of emergency food and relief May 21 Police chief in Ilidza, Tomo Kovac, says he would let refugees go if it was his choice, 'but I don't make the decisions'; Bosnia accuses Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic of ordering the refugee convoy halted; convoy finally allowed to leave Ilidza only after 2 truckloads of food brought in to Serbian barracks May 22 US closes Yugo. consulates in New York and San Francisco and expels diplomats, along with Yugo. military attache in Wash.; con- sulate in Chicago allowed to remain open; Sec. of State Baker says he will urge the EC to take similar measures; UN Gen. Assembly gives full membership to Croatia, Slovenia, and BH; Yugo. seat re- mains but left vacant May 23 EC states consider new sanctions against Serbia (trade embargo, freeze on finan- cial assets, cutoff of oil); Greece and France hold up unified action May 24 US Sec. of State Baker says US will appeal to UN to impose similar sanctions on Serb- ia as those applice to Iraq; compares Serbian policies to those of Nazi 'cleans- ing' and 'ethnic purifications' in trying to force Muslims and Croats out of BH; Baker says there will be no unilateral US use of troops but does not rule out multi- lateral options May 25 Yugo. pres. tries to distance itself from BH conflict by calling on all warring factions to stop fighting, and claiming to support UN relief and peacekeeping mis- sions; Muslim forces continue to block withdrawal of Yugo. forces in Sara. bar- racks until they surrender weapons May 26 Yugo. army commander in Sara., Col. Kom- nen Zarkovic, says that army is ready to end war in BH if they can leave the city peacefully (1,500 soliders and their fami- lies still in 3 barracks); Serb leader Karadzic says his forces prepared to re- move heavy artillery from Sara. area if army is allowed to leave the city; Serb policeman and Albanian killed in am- bush on a police patrol near town of Pec in Kosovo May 27 Serbs shell bread lines in Sara. killing 20, wounding dozens; shelling breaks 4- hour old truce mediated by Russians; ma- ternity hospital shelled overnight by Serbs; 6 Serbs killed in fighting in mainly Muslim town of Kiseljak (W of Sara.); 2 Croats killed in southern Bosnia due to artillery fire; Izetbegovic calls for popular offensive against Serb-led forces; EC imposes trade embargo on Serbia, asks UN to impose oil embargo and freeze Yugo. assets; Intl. Red Cross says it is withdrawing remaining 16 workers from BH; Serbian Orthodox Church declares it is openly distancing itself from this (Milosevic) govt.; Fighting around Sara. airport; Yugo. com- mander in Sara. says Muslim forces attack- ed his troops overnight and captured 50 of his men May 29 Mortar, heavy artillery, and rocket at- tacks on Sara.; Serbs shell old town of Dubrovnik several days after 8-month seige of town lifted; Fighting in Mostar kills 2; Karadzic blames Muslim intransigence for the continued lack of progress in peace talks in Lisbon; Helmut Kohl calls for Yugo. expulsion from UN; Turkish Pres., Turgut Ozal, says NATO should intervene in BH and that Turkey will send troops there for that purpoe May 30 UN Sec. Council imposes sanctions on Yugo. by vote of 13-0 (Zimbabwe and China ab- stain); all countries required to cease trading in any commodity including oil; all finances to be frozen; air traffic suspended; Yugo. not to be allowed to participate in summer Olympic games, and all sporting events, cultural, scientific, and technical contacts cut off; diplomatic staffs to be reduced in Yugo.; Bush admin. order $214 million in govt. assets seized by Monday; Russia says Belgrade brought the sanctions on itself; Serbian govt. denounces attacks on Sara., first time in 3-month war; fighting around Marshall Tito barracks in Sara. May 31 Tens of thousands demonstrate in Belgrade against Milosevic regime; estimates of 50,000, largest anti-govt. protest since March, 91; Izetbegovic declares sanctions to mark the beginning of the end of the fascist policy of Serbs in Bosnia; New fed. elections held in Serbia boycot- ted by opposition, as only parties allowed to participate are Milosevic's Socialist Party, ultra nationalists, and communist groups; Montenegrin communists win their elections overwhelmingly; Gas prices rise 100% at midnight; Milose- vic comments on sanctions that this is a price we have to pay because we are help- ing Serbs outside Serbia; Politika says govt. will stop repayment of $8 billion foreign debt due to sanctions June 1 New truce announced in Sara. to take ef- fect at 6pm; fighting south of city and in Gorazde; Slavonski Brod fired on by Serbs from Bosnian side, killing 2; Dubrovnik shelled again, Croats return fire; Yugo. jets attack Tuzla June 2 Shelling resumes overnight; fighting on west side of Sara. June 3 About 100 students begin sit-in at Univ. of Belgrade until Milosevic steps down June 4 Chairman of US Senate For. Relations com- mittee, Claiborne Pell, calls for UN naval blockade against Yugo., authorization of military strikes against Serb forces sur- rounding Sara., and states that those bom- barding Sara. are a bunch of cowards whose bravery will quickly disappear with the arrival of just a few well-directed smart bombs; Serbian govt. announces that Socialist Party gained 73 of 138 seats in parl. elections, 33 to Serbian Radical Party led by Vojislav Seselj, who advocates ethnic cleansing); govt. says 56% voted, opposition says figure is inflated; Serbia demands UN sanctions be lifted now that UN report declares Croatia also responsible for fighting in BH; Monte- negrin Pres. Bulatovic says that Monte- negro may have made a mistake in ally- ing itself with Serbia, change is pos- sible; NATO agrees for 1st time that its troops may be used as peacekeepers outside of NATO areas; US presses, but fails to con- vince, NATO allies to enact sanctions against Yugo. and to aid BH June 5 Muslim fighters lift blockade of army barracks in Sara. and allow 800 soldiers and families to evacuate, while leaving much heavy machinery behind; tentative pact signed to reopen airport, but Serb shelling of town continues; US imposes comprehensive trade ban against Yugo. in compliance with UN sanctions; 1 killed, 1 wounded in fighting around Dubrovnik June 6 Renewed overnight artillery duels between Serbs and Sara. defenders said to be fiercest of the war, at least 2 killed; Marshall Tito barracks targeted by Serbs so as to destroy supplies/weapons left be- hind by army; US conforms to UN sanctions by banning all imports and exports, re- voking JAT landing rights June 8 Heavy bombardment of Sara. leaves 29 dead; Bosnian Def. Min. spokesman says the deci- sive battle for city has begun; Muslims reportedly capture some high ground around city; Serbs intensify attacks; worst fighting around suburb of Dobrinja on edge of airport, as Muslim forces attempt to recapture area; Sara. radio says Muslim forces capture several villages in west and suffer 16 wounded; fighting around Tuzla; TANJUG reports that Serb leader Karadzic appealed to his forces for cease- fire to allow Red Cross to deliver aid June 9 12 parl. members of Socialist Party break with Milosevic and create new Social Dem- ocratic Party of Serbia; UN peacekeeping force Gen. Louis MacKenzie and 30 men leave Belgrade to try to arrange truce in Sara. June 10 MacKenzie and UN team arrive in Sara. af- ter 12 hour trip; Serbs reported to have withdrawn dozen tanks and artillery units from around airport to facilitate talks, but heavy shelling continues; 31 killed, 129 wounded since Tuesday; Pensioners in Belgrade begin to receive food handouts from Serbian Red Cross June 12 Serb leader Karadzic, speaking from Bel- grade, announces new unilateral cease- fire effort to begin on 15th, and sends telegram to UN asking immediately for 800 UN monitors to oversee it from Serb posi- tions; says Serbs support reopening of Sara. airport for humanitarian flights, and that truce will apply to all of BH (although admits that he cannot guarantee anything outside of Sara.); Taxi drivers in Belgrade stop day-old blockade of downtown streets to protest falling living standards, and to protest attack on cabbie by bodyguard of ultra- nationalist Serb leader, Vojislav Seselj; in face of protests, Socialist Party warns of civil war if Milosevic steps down June 16 Bosnia and Croatia formally ally them- selves to push Serbs out of Bosnia June 17 Heavy machine-gun battle starts up around Bosnian parl. building, shelling by Serbs begins before dawn and Serbian tanks start barrage from Lukavica barracks; Serbian gunners on Trebivici Hill fire into suburb of Hrasno; central old town battered; Bosnian For. Min. Silajdzic attending Org. of Islamic Conference in Istanbul called to discuss Bosnian situation says that 6-10,000 have died in fighting and that over 40,000 have died since conflict began nearly a year ago; claims that tens of thousands are near starving; Kosovan PM- in-exile, Bujar Bukoshi, says that fight- ing may erupt next week in Kosovo as new, but illegal, parl. holds 1st session June 18 UN and Serbs sign accord to open airport and pull back heavy artillery to UN-moni- tored positions June 19 UN and Bosnia sign similar accord; Serbs launch offensive June 20 UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) withdrawn from airport, Gen. MacKenzie suspends ef- forts to open airport after both sides fail to observe June 5 ceasefire; 7-man coll. pres. declares 'state of war' and calls for general mobilization June 25 Quiet in Sara. as Serbs make unilateral promise to put guns under UN supervision; heavy fighting in Croatia on 1st anniver- sary of Croatian ind. as Croatian forces make big push towards Serb stronghold of Knin; at least 150 killed and 300 wounded in several days of fighting; Student protest in Belgrade against Milo- sevic regime now in 11th day, said to have spread to Novi Sad, Kragjujevac, and Nis June 26 UN Sec. Gen. Boutros-Ghali says Sec. Coun- cil will have to find other ways of re- lieving Sara. if Serbs do not lift seige within 48 hours; no solution seems to have been excluded (US backs away from unila- teral use of force to get aid to Sara.); Fighting continues in Dobrinja; Milosevic condemns Serb shelling of Sara. and says intl. observers should come to Belgrade to see Serbia's lack of involvement June 27 French Pres., Francois Mitterrand, arrives in Split in effort to get to Sara.; de- clares 'we have a moral obligation to help ...Serbia is today the aggressor, and we cannot wait'; EC leaders say they will support whatever efforts the UN agrees to, including force, to stop fighting (Bri- tain resistant due to its experiences with N. Ireland); EC refused to recognize Mace. Serb shelling of Sara. and Dobrinja only hours after UN ultimatum; fighting also in northern and central BH; Boutros-Ghali issues statement condemning Bosnian forces for retaliatory attacks; Bosnian forces in Dobrinja say they have repelled Serbian ground attack and are close to establish- ing corridor with Sara.; White House spokesperson says US 'willing to consider all options' if fighting does not stop; Crown Prince Alexander arrives in Yugo. to popular acclaim, and says he wants to pro- mote a Spanish-style alternative in a transition to peace and democracy June 28 Mitterrand travels to Sara. for 6 1/2 hour visit, meets with Izetbegovic, says that he has not come to negotiate with anyone, but to deliver aid, if necessary by force; departure delayed from airport by fire- fight between Serbs and Muslims; later, Serbs supposedly give control of airport to UN troops while 2 French planes with aid fly to Split; 100,000 rally in Belgrade demanding re- signation of Milosevic; Crown Prince Alex- ander addresses crowd, says Serbs have had enough of dying; Pres. Bush says that the US will 'do its part' and that 'every option is open', im- plying force may be used to open airport June 29 UN forces raise their flag over Sara. air- port; French plane with 6.5 tons of food and medicine arrives; UN Sec. Council unanimously orders battalion of 1,000 troops already in Croatia to redeploy in Sara.; all Serb guns reported withdrawn from airport by evening, but scattered fighting continues around it and in Sara. city center; UN spokesman says that con- trol of airport is not assured and that sporadic gunfire continues; 20,000 continue rally in Belgrade against Milosevic; Yugo. govt. says it will not participate in upcoming CSCE meeting due to biased approach of CSCE to crisis; 4 killed, 12 wounded in artillery bombard- ment of Dubrovnik June 30 3 UN peacekeepers wounded by firing from Muslim side at airport; Pentagon spokes- man Pete Williams, in policy reversal for Dept. of Def., says 2,200 Marine contin- gent is now in Adriatic on 6 amphibious assault ships, and that combat jets and helicopter gunships may be used as support for other forces over Yugo., but there is no plan to put US forces on the ground; Canadian contingent on way to Sara. air- port from Croatia; 125 French commandos join in securing airport