Turning the Screw in the Balkans War

The NATO air command definitely has got the attention of Bosnian Serbs besieging Muslim-held Sarajevo, but the test of strength between bombs and politics remains unresolved.

As the warplanes flew Thursday for the third straight day, there was no sign that the Serbian will had been broken. There was tension--Serb leader Radovan Karadzic declared “I am in control” when asked about differences with his hard-line military commander, Ratko Mladic--but Serb guns remained in place above Sarajevo despite NATO demands that they be withdrawn.

Today in Geneva, the politicians will try again to achieve a framework for peace. The foreign ministers of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia will meet in a U.S.-brokered session to talk further about the American peace plan for a territorial division among the combatants. Washington should be commended for keeping the political pressure on, but world interest remains fixed on the war, both on the ground and in the air.

NATO’s immediate military objective is to force the Serb rebels to withdraw their heavy guns at least 12.5 miles from Sarajevo. But, according to reports from the area and Washington, the NATO raids have yet to strike within the Sarajevo protective zone itself. The Serbs say they cannot withdraw their artillery without placing Serbian villages in danger.

The Western alliance must decide whether and when it will take the obvious steps: Hit the Serb guns at Sarajevo, seize a militarily commanding position and convince the Muslims to take Washington’s deal. This strategy would turn the screw of political pressure, which is the ultimate solution to the agony.