Serbs Yield to U.N., Agree to Move Planes
Bosnia’s rebel Serbs backed off from a no-win confrontation with the United Nations by agreeing to allow their air force to be removed from Bosnia-Herzegovina, diplomats said Wednesday.
After a blunt warning from international mediator Lord Owen that the United Nations was ready to enforce its new “no-fly” zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina, insurgent leader Radovan Karadzic agreed Tuesday night to fly all Serbian combat aircraft to Serbia.
The agreement, also involving Yugoslav Prime Minister Milan Panic, was officially described as the result of a unilateral offer on the part of the rebel leader.
But the diplomats said Karadzic had been put under heavy pressure to comply with Friday’s Security Council Resolution 781 and avoid direct U.N. enforcement, which could have included the bombing of the rebels’ airfields.
U.N. officials said there had been confirmed breaches of the resolution since its adoption Friday.
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