Croats, Serbs Trade Fire; U.N. Soldier Killed

Another U.N. soldier was killed as artillery duels erupted Friday between Bosnian Serb rebels and the Croatian army.

As cross-border tensions fused the fighting in the two republics, France warned that it may soon pull its peacekeeping troops out of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

There were more indications of rebel Serbs from Bosnia and Croatia joining forces. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic warned that if Croatia resumed its offensive against Serb rebels there, his fighters will join in.

“It’s going to be a big Serb-Croat war,” he said.

After the Croatian army this week captured a Serb-held section of Croatia, which formally had been under U.N. control, Karadzic said Bosnian Serbs no longer feel obligated to abide by U.N. decisions.

Such statements, and the shooting death of a Ukrainian peacekeeper Friday in eastern Bosnia, are likely to reinforce growing sentiment by nations with peacekeepers in Bosnia to pull them out.

In France, the daily Liberation newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Alain Juppe as saying “the time has come” for France to pull out its 4,500 troops in Bosnia. Since France, which lost two soldiers to sniper fire in Sarajevo last month, has provided the most peacekeepers, if it leaves, other countries may follow.