Is the Finger on the Triger?

by Dusan Reljic

There is less and less opposition among the Western public to a military intervention against the Bosnian Serbs and, if necessary, even against Serbia itself

The world has seen television shots of mutilated and blinded Muslim children in Srebrenica, which, according to the United Nations, became the target of the Serbian artillery half an hour after the beginning of operation "Deny Flight" over Bosnia-Herzegovina last Monday.

In an interview to "Sky" television, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic claimed that the Muslims themselves once again killed their own children. The belligerent vocabulary of the leading American newspapers is in discrepancy with the mood of the authorities in Washington. Analysts in the US capital point to the fact that the Pentagon has not abandoned its initial assessment that the United States should, by no means, send its soldiers to the territory of Bosnia. In accordance with such an American approach, Bartholomew's task was to directly warn the war lords in Belgrade in a voice raised somewhat more than would be appropriate if he had talked in Washington.

Informed sources point out that Mr.Bartholomew came "only to hear what the Serbs had to say" adding, ironically, that "the talks proceeded just as he had expected". From those close to the Russian Envoy Mr.Vitaly Churkin one can also hear that the Russian mediator offered no new maps either, but that he "sought ways for moving within the existing frameworks". He, reportedly, did not succeed in this, but now he "thoroughly understands the Serbian position". The attention of political observers was drawn by the fact that the American envoy was accompanied by the first deputy of the head of the US armed forces' joint chiefs of staff, general McKarsy. The general with three stars on his epaulette came, to all intents and purposes, to see whom the marines would be up against, and to make it very clear that the finger is on the trigger. While the Americans are aiming at Belgrade, Russia, according to Washington's expectations, is to convince Karadzic and his mentors to accept the Vance-Owen plan. Russia, which is to take over the chairmanship of the Security Council in May, has proposed that a meeting of the UN executive body at the level of foreign ministers be held then and that it be devoted to the United Nations' peace operations. That would perhaps be an opportunity to work out a change in the attitude to the resolution of the Bosnian crisis. In the meantime, certain analysts at the UN headquarters speculate, the Security Council could ease the trade embargo against Montenegro. The explanation would be that the poor republic, effected by natural disasters, should be helped for humanitarian reasons. West European governments, add these analysts, are following with interest the deterioration of relations between Podgorica and Belgrade and they believe that there exists the possibility of Montenegro breaking away from its axis with Serbia.