YUGOSLAVIA EVENTS CHRONOLOGY Jan.-July, 1993 Jan. 1, 1993 Boutros-Ghali urges the intl. community to await the outcome of Geneva talks where leaders of 3 sides will meet face- to-face for the first time, before using military action; Panic flies to US to try to convince US officials to not en- force 'no-fly zone' Jan. 2 In Geneva talks, Karadzic and Croat lead- er, Mate Boban, say they will accept plan for ethnic division of country, Bosnian govt. refuses Jan. 3 Bush and Mitterand in Paris say Geneva talks should be given chance to succeed, but 'no-fly zone' could be quickly en- forced Jan. 4 Geneva conf. recesses with no agreement; Bosnian govt. apparently willing to agree to plan's military and constitutional as- pects, but ethnic divisions stumbling block; Croat Boban accepts whole agree- ment, but Karadzic asks for extra time for consultations; says that 'we cannot accept Bosnia as one state', but that Serbs have given up idea of 'greater Serbia' Jan. 5 Operators of Sara. home for the elderly announce that 10 have died in 0 degree weather in the past 36 hours in building only 750 yards from UN headquarters (UN provided food, but did nothing about heat being cut off) Jan. 6 Shelling of Sara. districts of Novi Grad and Stari Grad, and street fighting in Dobrinja and Vojnicko Polje districts begins anew after Yugo. Pres. Cosic warns on radio that Bosnian Serbs risk attack by the US and NATO if they do not accept peace plan; US says that as many as 70,000 prisoners are still held in Yugo. unknown to Intl. Red Cross Jan. 7 EC report says as many as 20,000 women (mainly Muslims) raped by Serbs in Bosnia so as to demoralize and terrorize commun- ities; US Def. Sec.-designate, Les Aspin, endorses enforcement of 'no-fly zone' but says it would be his preference to use European troops on the ground Jan. 8 Serbian troops kill Dep. PM of Bosnia, Hakija Turajlic, while detaining French UN peacekeeping vehicle at Sara. airport Jan. 9 Bosnian Pres. Izetbegovic boycotts latest round of peace talks in protest over killing of Dep. PM; Bosnians demonstrate against UN forces saying they have pro- vided inadequate protection; Bosnian Serb parl. rejects elements of peace plan that would break Bosnia up into separate districts Jan. 10 Yugo. army parades its military in town of Cuprija, Yugo. to demonstrate strength a- gainst western intervention; Bosnian govt. calls for urgent UN aid for town of Zepa (35 miles E of Sara.) where 73 bodies have been found in last several days due to starvation and cold; British UN troops escorting Danish relief convoy near Kladanj are hit by small-arms and mortar fire and return 17 rounds of cannon fire from light tanks and machine-gun fire (1st instance of such a response); Montenegro vote for pres. in run-off elec- tion between Pres. Momir Bulatovic and Branko Kostic Jan. 11 In Geneva talks, Karadzic claims he will sign 'an insurance against secession'; Serbs demand change in Vance-Owen plan that recognizes 'three constituent ethnic units' in BH; Muslims say they will not accept changes in plan; Milosevic arrives in Geneva to participate in talks Jan. 12 Under pressure from Cosic and Milosevic Karadzic accepts peace plan to divide BH into 10 ethnic provinces with Serbs get- ting roughly half of BH, but Bosnian Serb leader, Biljana Plavsic, says Bos- nian Serb parl. will not accept deal Jan. 13 Croat-Muslim fighting near Travnik and Gorni Vakuf (apparently after Croatian commander demands Muslim troops be put under Croatian control in area Croats expect to get under Geneva plan) Jan. 14 Eagleburger says world may have 'dither- ed' away its chances to stop war, and that Turks are balking at attacks on Iraq when nothing is being done about Bosnia Jan. 15 Serbs shell downtown Sara. killing 7, and other parts killing 2; UN aid convoy to Zepa delayed 9 miles south; Karadzic says his people will not buckle under deadlines imposed by UN Jan. 16 Bosnian govt. offensive to cut Serb corri- dor between Serbia and Pale (SE of Sara.) escalates tension when Bosnians fire across border into town of Bajna Basta; fighting around Bratunac (75 miles NE of Sara.) kills 40 Serbs, according to Serb commanders; Bosnians report that 60 have froze to death in last several days a- round Zvornik (on border w/ Serbia); re- newed Croat-Muslim fighting around Gorni Vakuf Jan. 17 Cross-border shelling intensifies as Bos- nians hit villages and power plant in Perucac (25 miles SW of Bratunac); more clashes between Croats and Muslims with numerous dead; aid convoy reaches Zepa Jan. 18 Bosnians again fire across Drina into Yugo.; continued fighting around Gorni Vakuf Jan. 19 Serbs in Pale, BH, begin debate over ac- ceptance of peace plan; Karadzic sends letter to Pres.-elect Bill Clinton asking for change in US' 'misinformed' policy towards Serbs Jan. 21 US Sec. of State, Warren Christopher, says he doubts UN peace plan will succeed Jan. 22 Croatian army launch new offensive against Serb-held territory in Croatia; Yugo. pres. Cosic calls attack a 'flagrant breach' of UN peace accords; new shelling of Mostar by Serbs; US State Dept. says Clinton admin. considering providing arms to Bosnian govt. despite UN embargo Jan. 23 US intelligence sources says Serbs still running camps and that 70,000 people may be in camps run by all three sides Jan. 24 Croatian attacks lead Serbs to regain wea- pons monitored but not controlled by UN; Serbs inside Croatia declare formal state of war and shell Zadar Jan. 25 Croatia says it has ended its offensive, but fighting persists around Zadar; Tudj- man says the attack is a warning to Serbs to submit to Croatian authority, and due to Serb unwillingness to allow reconstruc- tion of bridge at Maslenica (NE of Zadar); Serbs claim that 29 of their soldiers have died and that Croats massing 20,000 in the Zadar area and other points; Croats say they lost 10, but killed 120 Serbs; fighting continues in eastern BH Jan. 26 Artillery duels between Croats and Serbs in Dalmatia, fighting inland from Zadar; Russia says Croatia taking 'provocative actions'; France says it will send air- craft carrier and 7 other warships to region; State Dept. gives report to UN on atrocities which blames worst massacre on Muslims who killed 60 Serbs in Bratu- nac area Dec. 14; Tudjman says troops will leave Serb areas only once Serbs are dis- armed Jan. 27 More Serb bombardments of Sara., killing 17; fighting continues in Croatia; US admin. says it is considering options beyond those of the Bush admin. Jan. 28 Croats seize Peruca Dam from Serbs who attempt to destroy it with mines; fight forces 80 UN peacekeepers to abandon it Jan. 29 Croats try to repair dam before it can break; Zadar Mayor, Zivko Kolega, say 21 Croats and 45 Serbs killed in offen- sive; fighting around Srebrenica in BH near Drina River Jan. 30 Talks collapse in Geneva after Muslims and Serbs refuse to sign specific ele- ment of agreement; Clinton admin said to be against the plan; Owen and Vance say the plan now goes to the UN Sec. Council Jan. 31 Tudjman threatens to expand offensive if UN doesn't disarm Serbs and reopen roads through Serb-controlled areas; UN repair crews give up working on a main electrical transmission line in Sara. af- ter being fired upon by Bosnian govt. troops; French aircraft carrier Clemen- ceau with 30 fighter and 30 combat and transport helicopters enters Adriatic Feb. 1 EC For. Ministers delay imposing stricter sanctions against Yugo. on request of Lord Owen as he seeks Serbian and Muslim consensus on his peace plan; TANJUG re- ports major Croatian offensive against Serb-held Obrovac and Benkovac (SW Croa- tia); UN observers say fighting over Serb-held town of drnis (SE of Zadar); Zadar and Biograd under 10th day of alert; Croat Chief of Staff, Gen. Janko Bobetko, says Serb force of 700-1,000 attacking Zadar; Serbs allow women and children to leave eastern Bosnian town of Cerska for Kalesija Feb. 2 Muslim funeral in Sara. fired upon by anti-aircraft machine guns killing 1 Feb. 3 UN aid convoys to stop using Mostar- Sara. road (most heavily travelled) after UN aid worker killed by shelling of line of UN trucks; France suggests that if UN peace talks fail that western allies ring Sara. with troops to drive Serbs out of hills surrounding Sara. Feb. 4 Bosnian pres. Izetbegovic declares that he wants air strikes to end war; Karadzic, in New York (where he is confined to 10- block area around UN due to State Dept. declaration that he is a war criminal) urges Clinton admin. to support UN peace plan and that US would face another Viet- nam if it intervenes in Bosnia Feb. 6 US Def. Min. Aspin presents new Clinton approach to British, French, Belgian, Canadian, German, and Dutch diplomats at meeting in Munich; German transport plane hit in propeller by gunfire over Sara., UN suspends further flights Feb. 7 Serb mortar hits line of people waiting for water in Sara., killing 3, wounding 5; Bosnian Serbs and Muslims stalemated in last day of Geneva talks; NATO Sec. Gen. Woerner says at Munich meeting with Aspin that NATO may have to use force in BH; Karadzic says all sides should 'stop the war immediately' Feb. 8 UN Sec. Council prepares to meet on Bos- nian conflict, but must await Clinton admins.' policy review; Yugo. For. Min., Ilija Djukic, says all three sides should agree to UN peace plan (seemingly puts pressure on Bosnian Serbs); Muslims accuse UN mediators of trying to divide Sara. along ethnic lines; Kenneth Black- well, US delegate to UN Human Rights Com- mission says there is increasing evidence that senior Serbian officers directed organized rape of Muslim women in BH; fighting in Vlasenica and Bratunac (50 miles NE of Sara.); Croats and Serbs battle near Zadar in Croatia; aid flights resume to Sara. Feb. 10 Clinton admin. announces it is appointing special US envoy, supporting tougher sanc- tions against Serbia, greater humanitarian aid, but not seeking lifting of UN arms ban on Bosnia; Izetbegovic generally praises plan Feb. 11 French forces say they will transport Sara. women and children across Sara. air- strip to safety; Serbs shell airport in retaliation causing 5 French wounded; fighting in E. Bosnia Feb. 12 Boutros-Ghali tells Sec. Council he may request withdrawal of 14,000 UN troops from Croatia due to renewed fighting there; Bosnian govt. tells UN to it will not accept further aid until eastern Bos- nia is also supplied Feb. 13 UN says it will suspend all aid flights into Sara. to counter Bosnian govts.' de- cision; UN commander Gen. Morillon calls Bosnian action 'a decision to fast to death'; In Moscow, US ambassador Reginald Bar- tholomew gets pledge of cooperation from For. Min. Kozyrev, but parliamentarians tell him they will not support more sanc- tions against Serbia Feb. 14 Serbs block UN relief convoy for Cerska (E. Bosnia); Bosnian Muslims launch at- tack against Serbs in Ilidza district of Sara. (near airport) and possibly Lukavica; heavy fighting near Bratunac, Gorazde, and Srebrenica Feb. 15 Sara.'s last operating bakery shuts doors due to lackof fuel; 3 killed, 18 wounded in city as result of heavy shelling; city govt. continues to refuse to distribute UN aid; heavy fighting continues in Krajina region; Bosnian govt. now sets death/miss- sing figure at 134,208, 146,158 wounded, and 64,050 as invalids; Serb tanks, mor- tars pound villages in E. Bosnia, killing 19; Cosic denies that Serbs have been systematically raping Muslim women Feb. 17 UN calls off relief missions to Muslims saying all sides have made a mockery of humanitarian assistance Feb. 19 Boutros-Ghali intervenes in aid crisis and orders aid shipments resumed while rebuking decision of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata; UN Sec. Council votes 15-0 to give soldiers in Croatia the right to rearm and fight back when fired upon; Clinton admin. studying plan to use American cargo planes to drop aid to isolated Bosnian towns (same tactic used to aid Kurds in N. Iraq) Feb. 21 UN convoy blocked by Serbs finally makes it through to town of Zepa; 18 killed in fighting across Bosnia Feb. 22 UN Sec. Council accepts French proposal to establish war crimes tribunal; courts would only deal with mass or systematic crimes, and penalties would not include death; US ambas. to UN, Madeleine Albright says US thinks it already had authorization for air drops; critics say the drops from 10,000 feet will be imprecise Feb. 23 Boutros-Ghali meets with Clinton, agree on air-drops as 'temporary and supple- mental to land convoys'; Clinton says 'there's no combat implications whatever'; Bosnian Serb Maj. Gen. Milan Gvero (dep. commander of Serb forces) states that this will 'bring about the use of massive military force and the escalation of armed clashes'; British welcome plan but decline to join in Feb. 24 Yugo. military general staff says Clinton plan is intended to create 'deeper and wider US military involvement'; Karadzic says the plan is 'dangerous' and that Mus- lims will fire on the planes to provoke US action; US says aid will also be dropped over Serb and Croat areas Feb. 25 Clinton formally announces airdrop plan to be carried out by US alone; C-130s to fly alone with no military escorts; Bosnian Serb leaders order their troops not to fire on planes Feb. 26 New fighting in Sara. with Serb shelling of suburb of Stup; Egyptian peacekeeping soldier killed by sniper fire Feb. 27 US prepares for first air supply mission by dropping 1 million leaflets telling Muslims that food is coming; aid inspected by 2 Serbs, 1 Croat, and 1 Muslim Feb. 28 British newspaper, the Observer, reports that Russia signed secret arms deal with Serbs in January worth $360 million to sell Serbs T-55 tanks, anti-aircraft, and anti-missile missiles; Russian technicians and soldiers said to have been sent to operated missile batteries; US planes drop first supplies to Muslims; planes flying at night and at 10,000 feet drop aid pallets; ham radio operators say that 7 villages around Cerska overrun by Serbs; radio operators also say leaf- lets miss their mark in Zepa March 1 Serb tanks fight into Cerska area; 10,000 flee fighting and are trapped on slopes of Mt. Udrc; despite claims by Aspin and Powell that 'many of the bundles' fell in clear drop areas, Pentagon spokesperson says only 1/3rd of aid reaches Muslims, some falling into Serb hands; intense fighting around Sara. area town of Vogosca as Bosnian factions meet at UN in New York for new round of peace talks March 2 Russia denies Observer report on arms sales; Serb forces overrun Cerska, reports of over 500 civilians killed as Serbs take control; US temporarily ends airdrop after 3rd day; Russian For. Min. Andrei Kozyrev says Yeltsin has ordered plans for Russian airdrop; UN says 19 hamlets fall to Serbs in last 3 days; Serb leader Gen. Mladic refuses to let UN trucks in to evacuate wounded unless Muslims surrender or agree to leave; UN negotiators deplore the con- tinued fighting while talks proceed March 3 Serbs shell refugees in Cerska area; gre- nade thrown at US embassy in Belgrade; defenders of Cerska try to regroup around Srebrenica at eastern edge of region; local Bosnian govt. officials says Amer. airdrops responsible for pulling defenders off front lines; 17,000-20,000 flee area to Konjevic Polje and say they will sur- render to Serbs; airdrop to Konjevic Polje hits target according to radio operator; Yugo. Premier, Radoje Kontic, warns Monte- negro against secession March 4 In open letter to Amer. people, Karadzic attempts to connect World Trade Center bombing to America's exposure to terror- ism, later disavows this; Clinton says Karadzic 'made a terrible mistake' and that the Amer. people can't afford to be afraid; UN to be allowed to have access to Cerska region and Mladic says a corri- dor will be opened March 5 Negotiations break down in New York over areas to be given to each group; Clinton proposes tighter sanctions, including to- tal isolation embargo against Yugo. as a result of the Cerska offensive, but this is opposed by Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ro- mania since they would be affected March 6 Gen. Morillon, visiting Cerska and Kon- jevic Polje, says there have been no atrocities; Muslims criticize his com- ments saying that he only visited Cerska battle area for half an hour March 8 Bosnian commander orders counter-attack by govt. troops against Serbs; Mladic agrees to let women, children, and el- derly leave Konjevic Polje and Srebrenica; last Muslim town in Cerska area, Udrc, falls to Serbs; shelling of Konjevic Polje continues March 9 Serb forces advance on Srebrenica along with continuous shelling; Serbs seize hills around Serb-held town of Bratunac (6 miles north of Srebrenica); WHO doc- tor says 30 dying daily in Srebrenica March 10 US urges allies to accept 50,000 troop NATO intervention force for peacekeeping after cease fire is arranged, but French object to US control and say UN should be in charge; US would possibly contri- bute 20,000 March 11 Civilians fleeing Serbs from Konjevic Polje flood Srebrenica, which has been under seige for 11 months, bringing population to 60,000; UN Gen. Morillon unable to reach Srebrenica with aid convoy; Muslims in Konjevic Polje detain British members of UN peacekeeping force to protest Serb refusals to allow evacuation of wounded March 12 12 British held captive in Konjevic Polje released; Serbs fire on civilians in town killing at least 16, say they were retal- iating for Muslims shelling nearby vil- lages; Gen. Morillon detained in Srebre- nica by civilians March 13 Morillon says he will stay in Srebrenica denying he is being held captive, says he will stay to calm the population, and that Serbs should immediately halt their offensive; Serbs block aid convoys trying to get into Sara., keep Muslim legislators from reaching city for debate on draft peace agreement March 14 Srebrenica shelled; Konjevic Polje still under seige March 15 Konjevic Polje falls; Morillon gains con- ditional agreement from Serbs to stop shelling of Srebrenica; Serb military says it will open corridor to Sreb. to allow evacuation of wounded; conflicts w/ Serb chief-of-staff Manojlo Milovanovic who says it won't happen as long as Moril- lon remains March 18 Serbs continue to hold up aid convoy to Srebrenica; Shelling of Sara. intensifies along with Serb tank assaults on western part of city; UN Sec. Council agrees in principal to enforce no-fly zone March 19 First aid convoy in three months reaches Srebrenica; Serbs shell town hours before convoy, killing 2 children, 2 adults; Serbs also shell Tuzla airport, nearby town of Kalesija; Bosnian govt. says dead/missing toll in war now 134,000 March 20 680 wounded Muslims evacuated by UN from Sreb. to Tuzla; Morillon accompanies con- voy to assure safe passage, then returns to Sreb.; thousands attempting to flee town mob UN forces March 21 Morillon negotiates evacuation of Serbs from Tuzla in exchange for more Muslims leaving Sreb.; France says it will take part in airdrops March 22 Karadzic promises to open escape corridor from Sreb. March 23 French and British helicopters to begin lifting out wounded from Sreb. in re- sponse to Karadzic promise; Serbs hold up aid convoys going to Sara., Zepa in- cluding French military hospital head- ing for Sreb.; Fighting continues near Zadar, Dubrov- nik, and in Serb-held Trebinje in south March 24 Serbs shell 3 French helicopters trying to evacuate wounded from Sreb. prompt- ing mission to be halted; Serbs deny responsibility saying UN trying to in- filtrate soldiers into Sreb. to 'save Muslim criminals who committed genocide against the Serb population' March 25 Izetbegovic signs Vance-Owen plan under pressure from Clinton admin.; territor- ial parts modified to get Muslims, Croats to sign; Serbs refuse March 26 Serbs declare cease-fire to go into effect on Sunday, March 28; Bosnian Def. Min., Bozo Rajic, says he has no faith in it and was not told about it in advance; Clinton says intl. community growing in impatience with Serbs and that allies are eager to enforce no-fly zone March 28 German plane joins US, French planes in dropping aid over Sreb.; aid convoy fin- ally reaches town; truce goes into effect March 29 UN convoy that was to take 650 out of Sreb. instead arrives in Tuzla with 2,346 March 30 Bosnian military ct. condemns to death 2 Serbs who admitted to commiting war atrocities March 31 UN Sec. Council authorizes shooting down aircraft violating no-fly zone, but under Russian pressure rules out pre-emptive strikes against Serb airfields; despite cease-fire Srebrenica again under attack; UN evacuation of 2,000 to Tuzla results in 4 children being crushed or trampled to death; 1 child rescued by Bosnian Serb soldier after falling off of truck; Bos- nian mil. checkpoint stops convoy for 2 hours and tries to prevent people from leaving the area April 1 Serbs refuse to allow new aid convoys into Sreb., but say they will let people leave; UN says it will not participate in this form of ethnic cleansing; Clinton urges Serbs to sign peace plan, calls ethnic cleansing an 'outrage' April 2 Bosnian Serb parl., meeting in Bileca, reject Karadzic's proposal that the Vance-Owen plan is a good basis for agreement; Yugo. PM, Radoje Kontic, calls no-fly enforcement a 'major error that could lead to an escalation of war' April 3 Bosnian govt. says it will end cease- fire if West doesn't force Serbs to sign peace plan; UN says Serbs shell Sreb., wounding two of their officers, violating cease-fire April 4 Muslim forces bar further evacuation of Sreb. to prevent it being weakened under Serb pressure; govt. reports at least 23 deaths from artillery and small-arms fire in previous 24 hours April 5 Sreb. under intense attack; Bosnian govt. military leader boycotts peace talks at Sara. airport due to continuing attacks on Sreb.; US says it will press for lifting arms embargo; Western European Union agrees to send patrol boats, police, and custom officials to Danube to enforce UN sanctions April 6 Officials in Sreb. continue to refuse re- fugee evacuation; on anniversary of war Milosevic warns that sanctions only make the situation worse; talks held with Greek PM Mitsotakis, Karadzic to head to Moscow for talks with Russian hard-liners April 7 Leaders in Sreb. approve evacuations; Mor- illon goes back to help deploy UN peace- keepers, Serbs express disapproval of his efforts; Russian Dep. FM, Vitaly Churkin meets Milosevic and Karadzic in Belgrade with reported new peace initiative April 8 14-member World Court appeals to Yugo. to end genocide and take responsibility for actions of troops inside Bosnia (Russian justice on ct. casts lone dissenting vote); ct. does not allow for lifting of intl. arms embargo for BH; at UN Russia refuses tougher American-sponsored sanc- tions against Yugo.; Morillon unable to enter Sreb. due to crowd of angry Serbs; Serbs searching UN relief truck claim to have found ammunition hidden beneath flour sacks, TV Serbia on hand to film the dis- covery; UN says it was placed there to discredit UN mission; German Constitutional Ct says German ser- vicemen can take part in UN-authorized missions April 11 Clinton advisory group sent to Bosnia in Feb. urges admin. in draft report to seriously consider use of force saying humanitarian efforts of little utility if the conflict itself is not ended; report encourages creation of 'safe havens' in areas where shelling of local populations is purposeful, and will require force to protect these areas; Pentagon and AID sug- gested to help UN forces April 12 No-fly zone now in effect; Serbs shell Sreb., killing 56 (including 15 child- ren) in defiance; Sara. also shelled; French plane crashes in Adriatic due to mechanical problems; Serb Gen. Mladic refuses to let UN soldiers enter Sreb. (Morillon wants to put 150 Cana- dians in town to prevent Serb attack) April 13 UN officials in Bosnia denounce previous day's Serb attack on Sreb. in uncharacter- istically harsh terms saying it was an atrocity; Karadzic says shelling was re- sponse to Muslim violations of cease-fire; Serb Dep. Commander of militia denies there was any shelling and says Muslims faked explosions to make UN believe there was an attack; 800 refugees leave Sreb. bringing total to 8,000 in recent weeks; 8 killed in new at- tack after convoy leaves; 7 children die during convoy trip to Tuzla; Margaret Thatcher blasts western states for their responses to Serb aggression calling it appeasement April 14 US special envoy Reginald Bartholemew, in Belgrade for talks with Milosevic, warns Serbs to stop the war now or US will press for lifting arms embargo re- garding Bosnia; Russians convince Sec. Council to put off new sanctions until April 26 (after Russian referendum); Serb attacks against Sreb. now sporadic, Karadzic continues to deny that Serbs shelled town on Monday April 15 Gallup Poll finds that 61% of Britons want intl. force sent to Bosnia to im- pose peace, and 67% want British troops included April 16 Clinton now says that the US should con- sider intervening in ways previously thought unacceptable; UN Sec. Council declares Sreb. a UN- monitored safe area, which rejects plans to surrender the town and have UN forces evacuate Muslims; Serb forces said to be only 1,000 yards from center of town as attacks continue; Renewed fighting between Croats and Muslims in central Bosnia April 17 Serbs and Muslims sign cease-fire in Sreb. calling for UN protection forces in town and its demilitarizing within 72 hours; last attack by Serbs kills dozens, estimates for total dead reach 5,000; 150-man Canadian force to be allowed into Sreb. to demilitarize city; UN Sec. Council votes 13-0 (China, Russia abstain) to impose tougher sanctions de- signed to cut off all commerce between Yugo. and outside world; British Labour Party leader, John Smith, calls for bombing Serbian targets; Bartholemew leaves London frustrated by the PM John Major's downplaying military options April 18 Lord Owen says if Bosnian Serbs refuse to sign plan he would personally favor bomb- ing Serbian positions; French, Italian, and Belgian govt. officials now saying military force may be necessary; Croatian forces (HVO) bomb mosque in town of Vitez, massacre villagers; British peacekeepers confined to barracks due to ferocity of attacks which leave 150 dead April 20 Clinton admin. holds top-level meetings with for. pol. advisors, Democrats, and Jewish leaders to try to arrive at a Bosnian policy; Sen. Judiciary Committee chair Joseph Biden calls for immediate air strikes against Serb artillery; cease-fire agreed on between Croats and Muslims, but does not hold April 21 UN says it has completed weapons surren- der in Sreb.; Croat-Muslim fighting in- tensifies in Travnik-Vitez-Zenica-Kisel- jak area; Karadzic refuses to meet with Lord Owen in Belgrade April 23 Bosnian Serb Parl. rejects peace plan, Karadzic says concessions must be made; Clinton says bombing Serb artillery should be considered to halt Serbs, but not by acting unilaterally; Sen. Min. Leader Dole says arms embargo should be lifted April 24 Karadzic rejects compromise on peace plan contending that Serbs need a corri- dor in the north to connect Serbian gains; Lord Owen angrily leaves meeting with Karadzic as Serb leader refused to com- promise; New truce and joint command established between Croats and Muslims, but fight- ing continues around Busovaca (25 miles NW of Sara.) April 25 Final meeting between Owen and Karadzic a failure; Karadzic travels to NE Bos- nian town of Bijelina to report to Bos- nian Serb parl. blaming the situation on Vance-Owen plan April 26 Milosevic attempts to force Serb parl. in Bijeljina to agree to plan, but parl. unanimously rejects it (77-0); Clinton signs executive order freezing American business interests in Serbia and Montenegro, and all Yugo. assets in US April 27 New Serb offensive opened in NW Bosnia in Bihac pocket, 1,000 Serbs with tanks invade region from across Croatian bor- der; UN Gen. Lars-Eric Wahlgren, comman- der of Protection Force instructs French battalion to protect the Muslim population by standing on top of houses if necessary to prevent them from being targetted; UN official speculates that Serb force is made up of old men who want to keep Milo- sevic from trading Krajina region for Slavonia; Russian Pres. Yeltsin warns Serbs that Russia will not continue to back them if they reject peace plans; US Sec. of State Christopher tells Congress that he is 'personally quite prepared to see the US use force' but only under 'severe tests' April 30 Karadzic says he won't sign accord unless concessions are made to Serbs May 1 Greece hosts meeting of warring sides, in- cluding Milosevic, Bulatovic (Mont.), Tudjman, Cosic; more shelling of Sara. kills 8; Christopher goes to Europe for consultations with allies, says US re- sponse involves strategic interests, and that US is now willing to use air power but only with European support May 2 Karadzic signs peace plan, but says it is still up to Bosnian Serb parl.; Chris- topher meets with British PM John Major, but Britian is opposed to arming Muslims; Serb offensives continue throughout Bos- nia particularly in Gorazde May 5 By vote of 51-2 (12 abstentions), and de- spite warnings from Mitsotakis, Milosevic, and others, Serb parl. in Pale rejects peace plan that would require them to give up much of territory they have gained; parl. says it will submit the plan to a referendum (thereby delaying military in- tervention) May 6 Clinton calls Serb decision 'grave disap- pointment', and referendum a delaying tac- tic to consolidate gains; says Yugo. deci- sion to cut off all but humanitarian sup- plies to Bosnian Serbs a 'good start'; Yugo. and Serbian govts. say they will cut supply lines to Bosnia; UN Sec. Council designates six areas in eastern Bosnian as safe havens, includ- ing Zepa and Gorazde (E. Bosnia) May 8 Clinton tells Christopher to begin new round of negotiations with European allies; Danish PM Rasmussen supports Clinton's call for action; Serb forces attack Zepa despite designa- tion by UN as safe haven; UN gets Muslims and Serbs to accept demilitarization of Srebrenica and Zepa; Morillon to send troops to Zepa and Gorazde May 9 Truce goes into effect between Muslims and Serbs in E. Bosnia, but new fighting breaks out in Mostar as Croats attack Muslims and evict womena and children from their homes; Izetbegovic calls on Tudjman to help resolve conflict, says that 100 trucks with troops from Croatia heading to Bosnian town of Kojnice; Croats attacking to get more land before UN peace plan goes into effect; UN military observers reach Zepa, find evidence of massacres, town reportedly nearly deserted May 10 UN peacekeeping force of 100 reaches Zepa where fighting has ebbed; Croats carrying out ethnic cleansing in Mostar, UN re- ports May 11 UN observers watch HVO (Croatian troops) force 1,300 Muslims from Mostar; Croats continue their attack in Muslim old quar- ter, attempt to push Muslims to east bank of Neretva River; Izetbegovic appeals to UN to make Mostar a safe area; Milosevic tells Bosnian Serbs they should cancel planned referendum and ratify peace ac- cord, but Serb leaders reject request; Bosnian For. Min. Silajdzic calls on UN to remove its 9,000 troops/aid workers from Bosnia May 12 Cease-fire agreed on by Muslims and Croats at Medjugorje, but fighting continues in Mostar; UN aid operations chief says 'Croats have to understand that the intl. comm. will not accept a second wave of ethnic cleansing' May 13 Serbs launch new attack on NE city of Brcko which is still partially under Muslim control; EC warns Croatia that it could face sanctions if offensive in Bosnia is not stopped; Muslim and Croat troops refuse to return to barracks in Mostar May 14 Serb leaders renew pressure on Bosnian Serbs to approve referendum; heavy shell- ing around Brcko, UN condemns Serbs for 'extremely serious' violations of cease- fire; sniping in Mostar, Croat-Muslim clashes in Vitez; France proposes to Sec. Council intl. army of 40,000 to occupy parts of Bosnia; Russia proposes Sec. Coun. meeting of for. min. to dis- cuss the war May 15 Serbs vote on referendum; apparently have taken over Zepa May 16 Voting continues amidst fighting; Bosnian Serb commander Mladic signs truce with Croatian counterpart, Gen. Milivoje Pet- kovic; Lord Owen appeals for thousands more peacekeepers for safe-haven areas; Serbs continue attacks around Brcko, TANJUG says Muslim-led forces counter- attack, inflicting heavy Serb casualties; Karadzic announces that the Vance-Owen plan is dead and 'Bosnia never existed, and it will never exist' May 17 Clinton admin. rejects Russian plan for for. min. meeting, which allies support; British Def. Sec. Malcolm Rifkind says new actions (intervention) must not jeo- pardize gains already made by 15,000 UN troops; Clinton nat. sec. coun. officials meet but fail to agree on options for US; fighting in Mostar May 18 Fighting lulls in Mostar; Lord Owen gets Izetbegovic and Mate Boban (Croat leader) to agree to implement Vance-Owen plan May 19 Serbs in Pale announce that referendum rejected Vance-Owen plan with 96% of vote; UN human rights investigator Mazowiecki criticizes peace plan for being used for ethnic cleansing; new fighting between Croats and Muslims in Central Bosnia, also between Muslims and Serbs around Brcko May 20 Serb militia commander in Krajina fails to show up for UN-mediated cease-fire; Serbs shell Zadar area for second day May 21 Yugo. pres. Cosic rejects UN monitoring of border with Bosnia saying it will threaten Yugo. sovereignty and nat. dignity, and that Yugo. must be trusted; fighting a- round Brcko, Maglaj; Muslims and Croats continue to battle in C. Bosnia; US offers to protect intl. forces sent to protect Muslim civilians in Bosnia as part of UN safe haven plan (proposed by US, Russia, Britain, France, Spain) May 22 Bosnian leaders criticize safe haven idea as establishing reservations for Muslims; 13 killed in artillery attacks on Sara.; Sec. of State Christopher says Eur. caution preventing Clinton from taking tougher measures May 23 Izetbegovic rejects safe haven plan as 'absolutely unacceptable'; Karadzic says plan is 'more realistic' and praises Clinton for not involving US in another Vietnam with air strikes May 24 51 Islamic countries denounce safe haven plan because it fails to authorize mili- tary force to roll back Serb gains; Karad- zic now says he is opposed to UN sending troops into so-called Bosnian Serb rep. May 25 UN Sec. Council votes to set up war crimes tribunal, establish six 'safe havens' protected by air power, and deploy monitors on Bosnia's borders with Yugo. to guarantee only humani- tarian aid gets in; State Dept. official says US deliberately letting Europeans take lead on Bosnia due to constraints on US power; Serbs continue attacks on Maglaj May 26 Izetbegovic refuses to go along with new UN plan saying this will create ghettos for Muslims within country; Serbian Orthodox Church urges ouster of nationalist leaders saying they are to blame for war, but also calling for a govt. which will unite all Serbs even in neighboring republics May 28 Serb commander Mladic backs out of talks in Sara. saying Muslims are attacking Serb positions around Srebrenica July 3 Heavy shelling of Sara. on anniversary of air-lift of supplies to city; US Sec. of State Christopher warns Milosevic against expelling CSCE monitors from Kosovo July 4 Intense fighting in central Bosnia as Serbs and Croats advance against Muslim forces; heavy fighting in Maglaj; govt. forces said to have taken Fojnica from Croats, and blockaded UN base in Visoko (NW of Sara.) demanding UN hand over Croat commander on base to be tried for war crimes (Croats retaliate by block- ading UN bases in Kiseljak; 2 police officers wounded in grenade attack in Kosovo; 4 more mosques destroyed in Banja Luka July 5 20 US troops arrive in Macedonia, first of 300 Americans to take part in UN- commanded force of 1,000 July 6 Muslims lift blockade of UN base and al- low Croat commander to return to his area after four Muslim officers released; new UN commander in Yugo., French Gen. Jean Cot, snubbed by Serb and Croat commanders who refuse to show up for an introductory meeting at Sara. airport July 8 Milosevic says that Muslim refusal to talk on dividing Bosnia doesn't matter since all those who do matter have ac- cepted the plan July 9 Bosnian presidency rejects plan to di- vide the country along ethnic lines des- pite pressure from UN July 10 Meeting in Zagreb, 9 of 10 members of Bosnian pres. reaffirm that ethnic divi- sion of the country is unacceptable July 11 Bosnian pres. agrees to resume talks after continuing pressure form Owen and Stoltenberg July 12 Remaining 150 American troops arrive in Skopje; accord reached between Izetbe- govic and Karadzic on restoring Sara. water and natural gas; 12 people waiting for water killed by shelling July 15 Both Croats and Muslims accuse each other of throwing all they have into renewed attacks in Mostar; Serbs shell Karlovac in Croatia as Croats prepare to reopen Maslenica bridge July 16 Utilities again cut off in Sara. July 17 Milosevic and Tudjman both warn Muslims that refusal to negotiate will worsen the war July 18 Serbs press assault on Mt. Igman break- ing through govt. defenses in 3 places; Mladic says he will no longer allow Sara. to be supplied through intl. orgs. July 19 UN relief workers say Bosnian forces left 230 mental hospital patients with- out care after taking Fojnica (25 miles E of Sara.) for 3 days; 2 children dead July 20 Heavy fighting as Serbs press on Mt. Igman; Izetbegovic calls for UN help; Karadzic says he will unite Serbian portions of Bosnia with Serb-held en- claves in Croatia; fighting between Muslims and Croats near Gornji Vakuf and Bugojno (central Bosnia) July 21 Sec. of State Christopher says US 'is doing all that it can consistent with its national interest', effectively rules out military assistance July 22 Geneva peace talks delayed by Izet- begovic after Serbs shell Sara., kill- ing at least 4; Serbs temporarily halt attack on Mt. Igman, but fire tank can- nons at Mali Hum (outside of Sara.) July 23 First aid convoy reaches Sara. in 10 days; another approaches Tuzla July 24 Renewed Serb shelling of govt. posi- tions outside of Sara. as Serbs contin- ue to try to choke off supply lines to Sara. July 25 Serbs fire 68 rounds of artillery at French UN base in Sara. destroying 4 vehicles, damaging others; much heavier shelling of Brcko by Serbs July 26 UN commanders Gen. Briquemont and Cot denounce Serb explanation of shelling ('Muslim provocateurs'), and say Serbs will face immediate retaliation if it happens again July 28 Pres. Clinton says US ready to provide air cover for UN forces if UN asks July 29 Fighting on Zuc Hill outside of Sara., Serbs shell Maglaj, Doboj, and continue attacks on Brcko; Bosnian govt. forces recapture 2 villages in central Bos. and press on towards Gornji Vakuf July 30 Izetbegovic agrees to partition of Bosnia into three separate terri- tories within B-H with a guaranteed corridor to the Adriatic; Milosevic proclaims on Belgrade TV that the war 'was worth it'