YUGOSLAVIA EVENTS CHRONOLOGY Jan.-April, 1994 Jan. 2, 1994 Croatian Helsinki Committee contends Croatian military drafting Bosnian re- fugees to fight in Bos. against their wills Jan. 3 Bos. govt. threatens to beseige Lasva Valley unless 65,000 Croats living there leave; Serb offensive against Sara. kills 15, wounds 30; UN commander in Yugo. Gen. Jean Cot says his forces are prepared for defensive military action, and blames Serbs for acting as greatest hindrance for UNPROFOR Jan. 4 Croatian FM Granic and Bosnian PM Silaj- dzic meet in Vienna, agree that Mostar should be placed under intl. control; Lord Owen comments that UNPROFOR troops could be withdrawn by spring if sides do not come to an agreement; UN commander in Bos., Gen. Francis Briquemont, re- signs Jan. 5 US ambassador to UN, Madelaine Albright, tells Croatia US may apply sanctions if Croatia carries through on its threat to invade Bos.; Heavy shelling of Sara. kills 2, wounds 32; police for first time turn civilians back into their homes and clear streets; airport closed; UN counts 1,535 Serb shells, and only 56 govt. shells in re- sponse; Croatian FM Granic and Bosnian PM Silajdzic end talks saying they have made firm efforts to stop fighting Jan. 6 Izetbegovic appeals for UN intervention against Serbians to stop shelling of Sara.; Editor of Croatian ind. newspaper Feral Tribune arrested for failing to fulfill his military obligations; Serb shelling of Sara. continues keeping airport closed, killing 4, wounding 50 (death toll for '94 now 37); 5 French peacekeepers wounded; Bos. govt. troops launch attack on hillside suburb of Grbavica; Fifth US State Dept. official, former amb. to Belgrade Warren Zimmerman, re- signs in protest against US Yugo. policy; Albright given access to mass grave of Croats killed near Vukovar Jan. 7 Serbs continue shelling despite Orthodox Christmas, 6 killed, airport still closed; In Bonn, Silajdzic demands resignation of Lord Owen for trying to force Muslims to accept unjust peace; Albright says blocking aid convoys should be considered war crime Jan. 8 UN Sec. Council condemns all sides for re- cent fighting prompting Serbs to call for cease-fire, which they break several hours later; shelling of airport prevents Izet- begovic from attending talks with Tudjman; 6 killed, 31 wounded in Sara. (death toll in city for '94 now more than 50); shells fall on civilians waiting in line for water; UN denies that air strikes were called for by UN commander after 5 sol- diers wounded earlier in week Jan. 9 Bosnian and Croatian presidents meet in Bonn; NATO warplanes fly low over battle- fields in Sara. area as NATO talks on Bos. begin Jan. 10 Talks in Bonn end inconclusively; 11 members of DEPOS (Serb. opposition) say they will sit in parl. as inds. be- cause Serb. Renewal Movement no longer democratic; Clinton tells NATO meeting that the al- liance must be ready to back up its rhetoric if it issues threats; Tudjman presents Muslims with new pack- age of proposals for regulating rela- tions between two sides Jan. 11 Shelling of Sara. intensifies; NATO lead- ers, using joint French-British proposal, warn Serbs of airstrikes unless airport in Tuzla is reopened, UN forces in Sre- brenica are allowed to rotate, and seige of Sara. lifted; Karadzic rejects this saying the airports in Mostar, Tuzla, and Banja Luka will be reopened only when an intl.-guaranteed peace is signed Jan. 12 Muslim forces attack Croat positions in Lasva valley, 60 UN peacekeepers evacu- ated from area; 4 killed, 12 wounded in Sara.; Serb-Muslim fighting around Olovo; Pope John Paul II calls for 'all forms of action aimed at disarming the aggressor" but does not specify who these are; Ponti- fical Council for Justice and Peace says collective abdications of responsibility towards Bos. 'assumes the macabre form of utterly shameful cowardliness'; Izetbegovic rejects Tudjman plan, demands Serbs give up all seized land, that Mus- lims now have 200,000 men in the fight; Tudjman tells press conference Muslims are using poison gas in cen. Bos. assaults, but UN cannot confirm this Jan. 13 Bos. UN amb. Sacirbey calls on Muslim states to boycott NATO countries' goods until arms embargo lifted; News agencies say Macedonia's Gligorov approaches US about joining Partnership for Peace program despite it not being formally extended to include Yugo.; Serbs and Croats announce extension of their Christmas truce until end of Jan.; Serbs shell Sara.; Serbia says it is planning new gold dinar pegged to D-mark; inflation now at 1,000,000% a month; Bos. Catholic bishops tell Tudjman that 440,000 of the 830,000 Croats in Bosnia prior to war are now refugees Jan. 14 Borba reports doctors strike since Jan. 9 in Kragujevac; Politika reports Croatia claims property rights to Krsko nuclear power plant in Slovenia after Slov. cuts power supply when Croatia reneges on debt for plant Jan. 19 Serb-Croat agreement reached in Geneva allowing both sides to set up 'official representations' in their respective capitals Jan. 20 UN senior aid official, Larry Holling- worth says UN should bring in more troops and get tough or get out of Bos.; Bosnian Serbs and Croats reach agreement to establish bureaus in each others re- spective 'capitals' (Sara. and Mostar); Euro. Parl. recommends Lord Owen be re- placed by someone with fresh perspective Jan. 21 Boutros-Ghali considers airstrikes to en- force rotation of UN troops in Srebrenica area; snipers kill 2 children playing in snow in Sara.; Zagreb dailies say Croatian opposition furious with Tudjman's deal with Milo- sevic Jan. 22 Serb shelling of children playing in Sara. kills 6; Silajdzic writes to Boutros- Ghali demanding retaliatory airstrikes Jan. 23 Serbs block medical evacuations from Sara. in retaliation for detention of Serb doc- tors who were trying to leave city; Boutros- Ghali says he is ready to order NATO air strikes is troops on ground ask him to; Departing UN Gen. for Bos., Lt. Gen. Francis Briquemont says UN mission impossible while fighting continues Jan. 24 French idea of imposing borders on warring groups rejected by US which says pressure should be focused on Bosnian Serbs; French say they may be forced to pull out 6,000 troops unless pol. pressure used for settlement; Clinton says fighting will continue until those in Bos. agree to stop it; Departing UN gen. for Yugo., Jean Cot, calls for airstrikes to support safe havens or other areas; Boutros-Ghali contends that settlement could take years and NATO is un- willing to use force; Slovenia demanding cash deposits for aid convoys so goods don't end up on black market Jan. 25 Bos. Croats claim to have captured Muslim village of Here (C. Bos.); Muslims con- tend that 25 civilians massacred; Milosevic ally Milan Martic reportedly wins Krajina presidential election by 51%-49% Jan. 25-26 Seven Bosnian police beaten by crowds who try to seize UN food shipments in village of Ticici; New 'super dinar' introduced, apparently not taken seriously Jan. 26 US State Dept. spokesman Mike McCurry says France's peace plan to pressure Muslim forces 'requires a very strange moral calculus' Jan. 27 French For. Min. angrily criticizes US by calling it a bystander on Bosnia;2 UN soldiers wounded by Croatian artillery barrage that hits aid convoy near Fojnica; New York Times reports Yugo. People's Army still actively involved in Bos. war; France recommends airstrikes to open Tuzla airport and to support UN in Srebrenica; US Senate votes in favor of non-binding res. to lift arms embargo on Bos. govt.; Serbian and Croatian govts. announce in Geneva they will set up joint commission to determine fates of 9,000 from war in '91; Croatian FM Granic says he and Yugo. FM Simic have opened talks on Krajina Jan. 28 Bos. PM Silajdzic accuses Croatia of having 25,000-30,000 troops fighting inside Bos, calls for emergency session of Sec. Council; UN investigators say some abuses occurred by UNPROFOR towards civilians, but majority of accusations unfounded or still being investigated. 3 British aid workers abducted near Zenica, in Muslim-controlled territory; 1 killed, 2 wounded; British halt participation in aid convoys in protest; Boutros-Ghali suggests air power be used to protect UN peacekeepers such as those trying to reopen Tuzla airport Jan. 29 Bos. Croat forces admit to killing of 3 Italian TV journalists previous day in mor- tar attack in Mostar; Croatia denies its troops are involved in Bos., but head of pol. dept. of Croatian army says there are volunteers who may have ne- glected to remove their Croatian army insig- nia; Serbia also denies troops in Bos. Jan. 31 Zoran Djindjic elected pres. of Dem. Party; 3 accused of killing British aid worker them- selves killed in Sara. while resisting ar- rest; Rus. LDP leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky visits town of Bijeljina (NE Bos.), tells Serbs Rus. has the means to punish those who bomb the Serbs; Upper house of Croatian parl. endorses pact with Belgrade as 'a step towards peace' Feb. 2-3 Daily Telegraph and Washington Post both re- port that Bos. Serb authorities enforcing conscription amongst refugees in Serbia with compliance of Serb officials; Bos. Serb DM says 'They are our people...and...we are get- ting them back so they can finish their mili- tary obligations.' Daily Telegraph also re- ports on 2-2 that Bos. Croats are also being pressed into service in Bos.; Boutros-Ghali says on 2-3 that 3-5,000 Croatian troops are actively involved in Bos., but Ger. FM Kinkel says there is no proof and opposes sanctions against Zagreb; Post also reports (2-2) that both Izetbegovic and Sacirbey believe 'suc- cesful actions on the battlefield are the best diplomacy' Feb. 5 Mortar shell lands in Sara. market place killing 68, wounding possibly 100; no deter- mination as to who fired shell, but specula- tion centers on Serbs Feb. 7 US endorses UN plan calling on NATO to pre- pare for bombing Serb positions; some admin. opposition to airstrikes comes from new Sec. of Def. William Perry; Eur. Union (EC) calls for immediate lifting of Sara. siege using 'all the means necessary', but unable to come to agreement on issuing ultimatum; French make plea for intervention and say they are disappointed with EU statement; British say French proposal just one of several options Feb. 8 As NATO prepares response, US says deadline for lifting of siege should be a week or airstrikes to take place; growing US-French consensus emerging where there had previous- ly been competition; US proposal calls for Serb forces to withdraw tanks and artillery 20 kilometers from city, Muslims to place their heavy weaponry under UN monitoring Feb. 9 NATO issues ultimatum to Serbs to lift siege of Sara. within 10 days or face air- strikes; communique says 'the Bosnian Serbs bear the main responsibility for the tragic loss of civilian life'; Serbs agree simul- taneously to withdraw weapons, a move NATO officials dismiss as attempt to derail ul- timatum; Karadzic warns that Serbs will 'shoot down every plane we can'; Yugo. army officers agree with Karadzic that bomb- ing the work of Muslim to gain intl. sympa- thy; Greece and Canada most reluctant to agree while Pres. Clinton works pressures allies to accept the plan; Rus. deputies express outrage at possibility of bombing including nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky who, in trip to Bos., says bombs dropped on Serbs would amount to bombs dropped on Rus.; Rus. FM Kozyrev urges world leaders to make Sara. UN protectorate rather than launch air- strikes US formally recognizes Macedonia, but uses title of 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- donia; Yugo. Fin. Min. says army now claims 75% of budget Feb. 10 Rus. UN amb. Yulii Vorontsov says Rus. will not insist on Sec. Council authorization of air strikes; Pres. Clinton finally able to reach Yeltsin by telephone after 2 days of not being able to get through to discuss Bos. crisis; 2 artillery blasts hit Sara.; Bos. Serb gen- erals say they will not withdraw artillery voluntarily; Radical Party of Serbian Unity's Arkan threatens to arrest Kosovan leader Ibrahim Rugova if Serb authorities do not Feb. 11 Slovenian PM Janez Drnovsek says his govt. supports NATO ultimatum and hopes Serbs ac- cepts ultimatum Feb. 13 UN officials in Bos. say they are not con- cerned that Serb guns might still be point- ed at Sara. after Feb. 21 deadline; spokes- man Lt. Col. Aikman says deadline 'is a NATO ultimatum, it is not a UN ultimatum'; Cease-fire in 4th day, but only 26 Serb weapons of greater than .50 caliber placed under UN control, and these in Serb-run bar- racks; 10 Bos. govt. guns under UN control; US, Ger., UK, Canada and Neth. have all begun evacuation of dependents at embassies; Rus. Dep. FM Vitalii Churkin in Belgrade for talks with Milosevic, says west interpreting UN resolution in own way and trying to cir- cumvent veto in Sec. Council; Bos. PM Silajdzic rejects Serbs demands that Muslims put infantry and light weapons under UN control also; Croatia says it will withdraw troops from Bos. if UN protects Croatian communities in central Bos. Feb. 15 Ger. authorities arrest Serb concentration camp guard on genocide charges; first in- stance of action taken against accused war criminals; Yeltsin, in meeting w/ Brit. PM Major, says Bos. problem cannot be solved without Rus.; Greek FM Karolos Papoulias in Belgrade for meetings with Milosevic Feb. 16 Differences remain between NATO, UN on what sort of control will be maintained over Serb weapons; Serbs moving some weapons to other parts of Bos.; Yeltsin, in phone conversation with Chancel- lor Kohl, makes clear Rus. opposition to air strikes; Rus. Dep. FM Churkin says Rus. op- posed to redeploying Rus. peacekeeping troops from Croatia to Sara.; meets with Milosevic; Greece reimposes eco. blockade against Mace.; Tudjman formally apologizes to B'nai B'rith concerning his comments on holocaust Feb. 17 Churkin and Karadzic reach agreement on pull- back of Serbs to stave off air strikes; Rus. also now offers to send 400 from Croatia to Sara. after Feb. 21 deadline passes if Serbs pull back behind UN-NATO 20 kilometer exclu- sion zone; Boutros-Ghali tells Sec. Council that 5,000 Croat troops remain in Bos. Feb. 18 US Sec. of Def. Perry and Chair of JCS Shali- kashvili sent to Italy to review preparations for NATO airstrikes; Karadzic tells UN envoy Yasushi Akashi that Serbs will have pulled back 24 hours early 'regardless of other deadlines'; military experts says Serbs have largely withdrawn guns for use on other fronts rather than have them controlled by UN; Bos. govt. concerned that many Serb guns still in position Feb. 19 Croatian FM Granic and Bos. PM Silajdzic hold talks in Frankfurt-Main, say progress made in their relations; US acting as mediator in latest Croat-Muslim talks Feb. 20 UN special envoy Akashi announces there is no immediate need for airstrikes as Serbs have made a 'substantial withdrawal or regrouping of heavy weapons in and around Sara.'; UN commander in Sara., Lt. Gen. Michael Rose, says UN has idenitified 41 mortar and artil- lery sites around Sara., but 9 had yet to be surveyed, 23 were abandoned, 5 were under UN control and the remaining 4 would soon be; UN declines to give estimates of total Serb weaponry (anywhere from 300 to 900); 5 suspected Serb shells hit Tuzla; 400 Russians peacekeepers arrive in Pale Feb. 21 UN and NATO agree that air strikes not neces- sary at this time due to Serb withdrawals, but retain option; NATO considering extending tactic to other areas of Bos., but Rus. FM Kozyrev says there should be 'no more ulti- matums or similar devices'; Rus. DM Grachev tells US Sec. of Def. Perry that US should send ground forces to Muslim sector of Sara. as this would reduce chances of provocation caused by Muslim forces; UN says new wave of ethnic cleansing being carried out by Serbs against Croats, Muslims around Banja Luka calling it 'criminal- ity on a huge scale; Serb-Muslim artillery duel around Tuzla; Bos. govt. troops kill 2 in Vitez; US envoy Charles Redman in Zag. for talks Feb. 22 Serb artillery reported to still be around Sara.; 5 Swedish peacekeepers wounded by a shell in Tuzla; Churkin, in Bonn, urges no further use of ultimatums (Churkin also states that Rus. troops are placed on divid- ing line in Sara. between Mus. and Serbs to provide 'psychological comfort' to the Serbs; Rus. For. Min. says it was Rus. initiative, not unilateral ultimatums that convinced Serbs to pull back; also, FM says Rus. has no objections to Turkish peacekeepers after Turkey renews its offer; UN troops sent to area near Bos.-Cro. border after Krajina Serbs blockade Nepalese peace- keepers and take control of transit route on Sava R. Borba says UN has called for jets to fly overhead to 'intimidate the Serbs' af- ter Serbs bring tanks to reinforce their pos- itions Feb. 23 UN announces in Zag. Croat-Muslim cease-fire modelled after Sara. arrangement to take effect on Friday (the 25th); UNPROFOR to set up joint military commission to oversee im- plementation; US pressures both sides to end fighting; 4 road corridors to be opened to allow deliveries by UN convoys, checkpoints and weaponry to be under UN control or to have been pulled back 10 kilometers by March 7; both sides agree to open detention centers and exchange prisoners; no mention of Mostar; Leader of ruling council of 'state' of Her- ceg-Bosna says single fed. Mus. and Bos. preferable to 3 ethnic ministates Feb. 24 Shell hits hospital in Mus. enclave of Mag- laj killing 5; Tudjman endorses idea of fed. Bos. Croat and Mus. state; Milosevic attempts to form govt. of nat. unity by appointing Serb from Croatia, Mirko Marjanovic to replace Nikola Saino- vic Feb. 25 Croat and Muslim leaders meet in Sara., ex- press commitment to cease-fire Feb. 26 Overnight bombardment of Maglaj by Serbs kills 2 children, wounds 13 other people; cease-fire holding in Sara. and Mostar Feb. 28 2 Amer. F-16s shoot down 4 Bos. Serb Super' Galeb' jets which are strafing munitions factory in Novi Travnik in violation of no- fly zone (1st instance of NATO forces being used for combat in 44 yrs.); Rus. gives sup- port to NATO use of force; Bos. Serbs deny any planes shot down; Some Serbs continue to defy UN/NATO commands to hand over control of their weapons, UN says this makes no dif- ference since their firing will provoke a NATO attack; shell reportedly lands in cen- ter of Sara. overnight, but UN says it knows nothing about it; Serbs illegally move 6 or 7 tanks outside of 20-kil. zone around Sara. Serb tanks and artillery attacking around Maglaj and Bihac, where they are trying to establish rail line between Krajina and Serbia proper; attacks also on Tuzla March 1 Croats and Muslims, under US direction in Wash., sign framework agreement on uniting their territories; agreement would create Swiss-like canton system where each will have authority over culture, police, educ., communication, tourism, and public serv.; Bos. PM Silajdzic also signs preliminary accord on fin. and eco. confederation with Croatia; Rus. convinces Serbs to allow re- opening of airport at Tuzla; Council of Europe Parl. Assembly criticizes Greece for eco. embargo against Macedonia March 2 Rus. criticizes Muslim-Croat pact for not including Serbs, but says agreement could prove useful within general settlement of conflict; Serbs press seiges of Maglaj, Bihac, Breza (N of Sara.); also fire 3 rocket propelled grenades at govt. troop positions near downtown Sara. saying they were doing so because govt. forces rein- forcing their positions March 3 Tudjman approves of pact; BBC says UN now asking for 11,000 more troops to solidify settlement March 4 UN now says it is no longer opposed to using troops with historic ties to former Yugo., especially Italy and Turkey; Rus. ready to send 300 more troops; Serb guns moved within 12.4 miles of Sara. into ex- clusion zone, 3 mortar rounds fired by Serbs at British troops in Zepce (45 miles N of Sara.); French troops fire warning rounds of machine-guns to silence Serb guns firing on govt. positions near Jewish ceme.; Rose pleads for more troops before peace initiative breaks down March 5 Serbs blockade 7 aid convoys, continue shelling of Maglaj, fire on French troops in Sara.; UN confirms there are still Serb heavy weapons in area March 6 Serb shelling and bombing of Maglaj March 7 Croats and Muslims begin pull-back of heavy weapons in C. Bos.; Tudjman says Croatian voters should decide fate of confederation, but this will not solve issue until Serb position defined; also states that Serbs must give up Krajina area if relations are to be normalized; fighting reported between Croats and Serbs in northwest Krajina; Swedish and Danish UN troops move into Tuzla air- port area with 10 Leopard tanks armed with 105mm cannons March 8 Serbs continue shelling of Maglaj killing 8; UN forces now in control of Tuzla air- port, 120 peacekeepers arrive to run it; US envoy Charles Redman reports progress in talks with Tudjman, but sides still dif- fer on inclusion of Serbs; Milosevic tells Redman he will not challenge pact since it does not violate Serb interests; 5,000 Turkish troops said to be ready to go to Bos. within 2 weeks, but Serbs op- posed; currently 28,350 UN troops in all of Yugo., with approx. 13,000 in Bos. Spanish NATO military transport plane hit by rockets fired from Krajina area forcing it to land on Krk; Trams run through central Sara. for first time in 2 years; Serb police kill Albanian man in cafe in Kosovo Polje (Kos.), arrest others, close down Inst. of Alb. Studies in crackdown March 10 Serbs deny closing Inst. of Alb. Studies March 11 Serb shells hit Maglaj killing 12; UN says 2 Serb soldiers killed by snipers in Sara.; French soldier killed near Bihac, air- strikes not called in since origin of shoot- ing not clear; US says it might recognize Serb state on Bos. territory if this would bring about quicker resolution of war; Reuters says 1,000 Turkish troops offer has been accepted for total of 7,200 soldiers from Eur. and Argentina (goal of 10,650) March 12 Croat, Muslim commanders sign agreement (brokered by US Gen. John Galvin) to merge armies; Rus. envoy Vitaly Churkin says he is not optimistic about peace; Serbs warn UN against sending Turkish troops, that this would lead to escalation of war; shelling of Maglaj kills 1, wounds 6; French come under fire in Bihac area, call for airstrikes which are not authorized for 3 hours, but by this point Serbs leave; UN says weather obscured targets March 13 Croats and Muslims agree on federation (in- cludes cons., pres., fed. govt., assem., de- centralized cantonal system) March 14 French contend that weather not reason for calling off airstrike, but rather ground spotter could not see Serb position, although planes could; Churkin in Belgrade and Zagreb for talks March 15 UN Sec. Council demands Serbs life seige of Maglaj, but don't declare it 'safe area' March 16 Croat negotiator at Vienna talks says Croat- Muslim alliance to be jointly represented at face-to-face negotiations with Serbs March 17 Serbs and Muslims agree to open up road from Sara. to Visoko to Zenica to civilians in buses or cars under UN escort, civilians must apply to military authorities first; agreement opens up Bridge of Brotherhood and Unity in center of Sara. among other road; Serbs fire on streetcar in Sara. possibly killing 1, wounding 2; Bos. radio contends that in last 3 days 12 have been killed in Sara.; 1 soldier, 3 civilians killed in Bi- hac area, while 1 killed in Maglaj; Authorities take Radio B-92 off the air; Ger. agrees with Mace. position that em- bargo must be lifted before it negotiates with Greece March 18 Agreement between Muslims and Croats offi- cially signed in Wash.; Serbs and Bos. govt. sign limited movement agreement opening 4 access routes between Sara. and suburbs; Mac. govt. says it has arrested 14 Alban- ians for possession of illegal weapons, but these are not connected to 'All- Albanian Army' uncovered in Nov. '93 March 19 800 Croat and Muslim POWs released in cen. Bos.; Croatian radio reports Serbs pulling back from area around Maglaj March 20 Serbs abandon blockade around Maglaj allow- ing aid convoys to reach town for first time in 3 months March 21 Bos. Serb assembly rejects joining Muslim- Croat federation, also says Serbs should re- frain from negotiations for a general cease- fire until sanctions against Yugo. are lifted; Karadzic says this does not preclude establishing ties with fed.; Turkish FM Hikmet Cetin says Turk. will send 2,700 to Bos. as peacekeepers; Bul. Pres. Zhelev says this could rekindle old fears in the region; Greece suggests it may send its own troops and opposes Turk. forces; Rus. says it is sending another 100 soldiers to Sara. March 22 Talks in Rus. emb. in Zag. between Croatia and Krajina Serbs produce no agreement; Tuzla airport reopened for aid flights for first time in 2 years, but Bos. Serb parl. head, Momcilo Krajisnik says this cannot be permanent until agreement on inspections arrived at; Greece 'categorically opposes' Turkish troops as part of UN peacekeeping force in Bos.; Boutros-Ghali agrees to extend NATO air cover to Croatia March 23 Boutros-Ghali recommends Turkish forces be allowed to participate as peacekeepers; Bridge of Brotherhood and Unity in central Sara. reopened to human traffic March 24 UN Sec. Council agrees to use of Turkish troops for peacekeeping in Bos. March 25 Karadzic warns that if Turk. troops are de- ployed Bos. Serbs will have to call on Yugo. army for security March 26 British UN troops exchange small-arms fire with Serbs near Maglaj for hours, destroy Serb bunker; Pol. assem. of Bos. Croats approve pact with Muslims, choose Kresimir Zubak (Croat) to head up new govt. after Izetbegovic who says he will immediately head up Muslim party, Party for Dem. Action; UN says Serbs intensifying ethnic cleansing in northern Bos. March 27 Govt. forces attack Serb positions near Maglaj; Karadzic says the offensive must be broken March 29 US negotiators say talks on ending conflict between Croats and Krajina Serbs closer to an agreement, maps and lines of authority now being drawn up March 30 Muslims, Croats approve constitution for new federation; Croats and Krajina Serbs sign cease-fire agreement to go into effect April 4 with removal of heavy weapons the next day and disengagement of forces April 8; Churkin warns that this is only the beginning and much still needs to be done; US Chairman of JCS, Gen. John Shalikashvili, and UN amb. Madeleine Al- bright arrive in Sara. where Albright an- nounces $10 million US contribution to re- building Sara., and US support for war crimes tribunal; both later fly on to Macedonia to review 300 US troops there; 10 killed as battles intensify around Gorazde, a UN 'safe area' that is not pro- tected by UN presence; also Bihac March 31 Tudjman, in Vecernji List, warns Serbs that mil. option still possible if they are not integrated peacefully into Croatia April 1 UN, Red Cross accuse Serbs of killing 19 civilians in Prijedor in worst ethnic cleans- ing in 18 months; 15 more reported killed in Serb attacks on Gorazde, more fighting also in Maglaj April 2 Serb offensive on Gorazde seen as challenge to UN, probably fostered by Serb gen. Mladic; TANJUG calls Gorazde worst fighting in area in 2 years; Red Cross says it is preparing to evacuate thousands of Croats and Muslims from Banja Luka/Prijedor areas contrary to long-stand- ing UN policy; Karadzic calls Prijedor kill- ings 'criminal acts of murder, not ethnic killings' April 3 US Def. Sec. William Perry says admin. will not use airstrikes to prevent Serbs from overrunning Gorazde; Rose tells BBC Serbs 'do not pose a serious threat' to Gor.; mayor of Gor. invites Rose to visit town to witness destruction, suffering April 4 As fighting continues around Gor., Rose announces he will visit town; mayor says 7 villages in area burned in past week and death toll now at 47 killed, 200+ wounded; Red Cross says Serbs refuse safety guaran- tees for evacuation of Prijedor civilians and postpone effort April 5 Gor. death toll now put at 52/249; Gen. Shalikashvili says air power largely in- effective against small arms fire around Gor. but also that circumstances could change and air power would be used; State Dept. displeased, hoping to keep options open; Tank from Nordic battalion near Gradacac (N. Bos.) destroys Serb bunker after coming under fire from 40mm anti-aircraft gun; UN reports that Croats and Krajina Serbs do not meet deadline for pulling back heavy weapons; Alb. pres. Sali Berisha tells Serbs that ethnic cleansing of Alb. from Kosovo would mean war with Alb.; Milosevic visits Romania where he tells Iliescu that trade between 2 countries could reach $1 bil. if sanctions lifted April 6 Serbs prevent Rose from visiting Gor., al- though they let 3 UN observers and 8 of Rose's liason officers go ahead; TANJUG claims Serbs fighting to liberate Serb vil- lages in area of Gor.; Serb advance tem- porarily slowed down on outskirts of town; Intl. relief workers say Bos. govt. break- ing promise not to draft men released from Serb concentration camps; EU tells Greece to lift blockade of Mac. or face ct. case for violation of EU treaty; Croatia says 15,000 refugees, including 8,000 from Mostar, must leave April 7 While Rose says Serbs, Muslims close to reaching peace plan, US and NATO urge UN to send hundreds of peacekeepers to Gor.; US NSC advisor Anthony Lake states the peacekeepers would be protected by NATO air power; Croatian ruling party's (Croatian Dem. Com., HDZ) liberal wing splits off April 8 Serbs capture Gradina ridge area over- looking Gor. despite 24-hour cease-fires announced by both sides; US says it wants quick deployment of Ukr. force of 1,000 to Gor. April 9 Boutros-Ghali tells Serbs to give up ter- ritory taken in recent offensive and au- thorizes UN forces to 'use all available means' to halt Serb advance April 10 2 Amer. F-16s attack Serb positions around Gor. hitting a tank and command post after Serb firing targeted UN observers building; Serbia calls attack 'clear case of aggres- sion against the Serbian people, striking civilian targets far from the front lines'; Bos. govt. amb. calls attack 'face-saving' since Gor. is a UN safe-area; Rose had call- ed for Serbs to break off attack, Mladic replies that no Serb gunfire striking civil- ian areas; shelling stops temporarily April 11 Second attack by Amer. planes (F-18s) de- stroys 3 armored personnel carriers, 1 truck, but 3 bombs fail to explode; US Sec. of State Christopher warns Serbs US 'stand(s) ready to act again if necesary'; Serbs had intensified attacks causing re- sponse; death toll in Gor. now set at 156/640; Bos. Serbs state they will not be intimidated and they won't abandon Gor. 'or a centimeter of our territories'; Rus. negotiator Churkin says NATO should have consulted with Russia 'but the Serbs must also bear some responsibility' as Rus. had tried to warn them that Gor. was dan- gerous; Die Welt says Croatia ready to offer is- lands of Vis and Lastovo to NATO to fur- ther contacts with alliance, Wash. April 12 Serbs tell Churkin they will hold off on attacks against Gorazde, but continue to fight with govt. forces in hills; Rus. Dep. PM Sergei Shakhrai comments that airstrikes have strengthened nationalists in Rus.; Mladic orders his troops 'to shoot down every aircraft flying in their direction'; US State Dept. official says US planes will shoot back; Yugo. govt. banns CNN and French news agency AFP for 'satanizing the FR of Yugo. and the Serbian people' April 13 Serbs detain 58 UN mil. observers near Gor., also in Banja Luka; 11 French re- lief workers still detained in barracks outside Sara. since weekend; Serbs fire 4 rockets into Sara. breaking cease- fire, cut off natural gas to city; Chur- kin says Serbs ready to stop attack on Gor. even as NATO says it will strike again if shelling continues April 14 UN accuses Serbs of 'orchestrated cam- paign' against UN observers/military per- sonnel for airstrikes including Serb sniper wounding French soldier in Sara.; Serb forces surrounding 20-30 French troops at Krivoglavci weapons collection point de- manding artillery be returned, also at collection point at Hresa demanding Rus- sian troops hand over weapons, abduction of 14 Canadian soldiers, 3 unarmed UN military observers and an interpreter near Cifluk for total of 155 UN personnel; Serb artillery shells UN observation post near Tuzla and its airport; Canadian comm. in Bos. says Mladic gave order for seizing troops; Bos. Serbs declare Gen. Rose per- sona non grata, ban Amer. journalists from territory April 15 Serbs renew offensive against Gorazde despite UN warnings, take key points overlooking river, and demand surrender of town; Gen. Rose asks for third air- strike after 2 British soldiers hit, killing 1, but special UN envoy Ya- sushi Akashi, having come out of meet- ing with Karadzic, decides against op- tion instead asking Serbs for cease- fire to evacuate UN personnel; Karadzic agrees and helicopters sent in to pick up wounded observer, but are fired on by Serbs nevertheless; UN again warns that it will protect its observers with airstrikes; Serbs only 500 yards from center of town; French Etendard recon plane fired on, but only lightly damaged; Reuters reports that UN commission on war crimes has linked Serb forces to genocide in campaign of ethnic cleansing in Prijedor in '92 April 16 UN warns airstrikes imminent unless Serbs hold fire and dispatch planes for strike but mission scrubbed due to poor visibil- ity; Akashi warns Serbs that unless changes occur he will recommend change of nature in UN military force; Rus. FM Kozyrev goes to Belgrade to talk with Milosevic; Serb tanks firing directly into town and Rose calls for airstrikes, to which Akashi agrees; in the process, British Sea Harrier jet shot down by SAM, pilot ejects to safety in Muslim- controlled area; UN proposes to Bos. govt. 2-3 mile DMZ a- round Gor., govt. refuses saying it is ca- pitulation; American journalist detained by Serbs in Zvornik, released after 27 hours; 13 for. reporters now banned by Yugo. authorities in last several days April 17 Akashi and Karadzic agree to cease-fire, but Bos. govt. rejects it; Serb tank and troops enter city violating previous day's agreement; aid workers say Serb snipers shooting at people unable to take shelter; airstrikes again called in but do not take place; Clinton says US will respond to ad- ditional military requests but the goal is to get peace talks back on track; Kozyrev blames Muslims for provoking at- tacks on Serbs, but also Serbs for re- sponding, also comments NATO mil. actions 'inappropriate'; later on Rus. TV, Kozy- rev says Serb threats to Rus. peacekeepers 'shows with utmost clarity the degree of irresponsibility of Serb fighters'; Croatian Serbs in Baranja region (E. Cro.) are taking back weapons under UN control April 18 BBC reporter comments 'Rad. Karadzic is playing the intl. community like an or- chestra'; also quotes Vitaly Churkin as saying about the Serbs, 'I have heard more broken promises in the last 48 hours than probably in the rest of my life'; Serbs continue to shell Gor. after giving another cease-fire pledge; 7 of 12 UN ob- servers evacuated by helicopter; rate of shelling as high as 1 every 20 seconds in the morning; death toll now at 302/1,075; Clinton's advisors to recommend broader use of force in policy re-assessment as Boutros-Ghali requests NATO for authority to call in airstrikes in other 'safe areas'; US sends additional 46 infantrymen to Mace. as part of 180 to augment 300 already there April 19 Serbs seize 18 anti-aircraft guns from UN collection points after diverting French troops guarding them; 13 of the guns re- turned by nightfall, as well as 40 of 55 UN personnel being held hostage released; In evening Serbs again announce cease-fire and say they will allow 350 UN troops to enter Gor. to form buffer zone, but con- tinue heavy shelling of town throughout the night; Clinton, advisors agree to propose broad- ened airstrikes against Serbs; also an- nounces they are now open to summit of major powers concerning Bos., but still against Amer. forces being used until a peace agreement is reached; Yeltsin calls for summit of US, Rus., EU, and UN and Churkin comments 'Its about time for Rus. to stop all negotiations with the Bos. Serbs...Mos. must decide if it can allow a group of extremists to use the pol- itics of great Rus. for achieving its own goals' April 20 Rus. parl. to send delegation to Bos.; Kozyrev says increased airstrikes will only escalate crisis, and that cessation of hos- tilities will be met by lifting of sanctions; NATO says it considers Boutros-Ghali request favorably; Churkin comments 'the Serbs (all Serbs) are on the brink of a catastrophe'; Clinton calls for more NATO air protection for safe areas and wants Serbs to 'pay a higher price for continued violence'; re- ports from Gor. say shelling kills 44, wounds 137; Tudjman's HDZ party splits when 18 legisla- tors leave to found Ind. Dems., led by Josip Manolic and Stipe Mesic April 21 Yeltsin press sec. says Rus. has convinced US to hold meeting on Yugo. to include EU and UN; House-to-house fighting in Gor.; Serbs ap- parently firing 1 round every 10 seconds at hospital; Serbs organize roadblock to pre- vent UN convoy from reaching town April 22 Wash. Post reports that NATO planning for large-scale bombing to protect safe-areas; Doctors of the World and Lawyers without Borders call for Ratko Mladic to be tried for war crimes; UN Sec. Council discusses, passes resolution calling on Serbs to with- draw 2 miles from Gor. or face airstrikes; Rus. goes along but condemns only Serb mil. command, says it has not supported bombing war-making structures; NATO ultimatum fol- lows April 23 NATO requests airstrikes after Serb shell- ing kills 21 in Gor. but UN official Akashi rejects it; Gor. toll now 715 dead, 1,970 wounded; Serbs begin pullback April 24 Serbs abide by NATO ultimatum to withdraw 2 hours late; UN warns them to be punctual for April 27 deadline for withdrawal of heavy guns 20 kilometres; 600 UN troops arrive in Gor. April 25 Rus. DM Grachev says additional airstrikes should be abandoned as they serve no pur- pose; Kozyrev says they are but of limited value; Serb aid blockade of Gor. continues and Serb troops blow up water plant for town in pullback; reportedly also resettling ethnic Serbs in Muslim villages/homes April 28 Serb forces may be leaving Gor. for Brcko; UN Sec. Council authorizes 6,000 more troops for safe areas, Rose says this is not enough April 29 Serb tank/artillery attack on UN observation post in Kalesija (near Tuzla) responded to by Danish tank platoons which fight back for 90 minutes killing 9 Serbs, wounding 5; Bos. Serb forces say they will get even, that in- cident is proof of biased nature of UN in- volvement; British peacekeepers in Gor. in fire-fight with Serbs, kill 3, wound 5; Churkin in Oslo for talks with Nor. FM Bjorn Godal on Bos. war April 30 UN warns of Serb build-up in Brcko area as they try to expand their corridors between Serbia, Croatia, and BH