Land Mines in Bosnia

* Re “GIs’ Big Fear About Bosnia: the Land Mines,” Dec. 16: As you pointed out, U.S. troops are about to face the plague of leftover land mines in Bosnia. There will no doubt be a number of tragic encounters with these anonymous weapons. Our troops will share this ordeal with the people of Bosnia.

Hopefully, the limited nature of the mission will keep such casualties to a minimum. And if all goes according to plan, our troops will leave the field in a relatively short period of time.

The people of Bosnia, however, will walk in justified fear of those mines for decades to come. So will the people of Angola, Afghanistan, Cambodia and dozens of other countries. The millions of land mines planted around the world constitute a terrible legacy. When people have forgotten what the wars were about, the weapons will go on killing and maiming.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced legislation calling for a moratorium on the use of antipersonnel mines. This legislation should be passed quickly and followed by a permanent international ban. Our country needs to take the lead in making the use of antipersonnel mines as unacceptable as chemical and biological warfare.

PATRICK BONNER

South Gate

* “No One in Balkans Wants to Talk About Who’s to Blame” (Dec. 16) overlooks one word politicians and pundits have overlooked as a prime factor in the attacks on Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, in his address at the Paris peace signing, specifically pointed it out when he said: “Former Yugoslavia has, indeed, disintegrated in our times as part of the disintegration of the Communist system.”

We also find it of interest that the one Croatian you quoted was Zarko Puhovski, who is well-known as an unreconstructed Communist.

ANTHONY F. BAZADARICH

Regional Coordinator, National Federation of Croatian Americans

Santa Barbara

* As I watch on television what is going on in Bosnia, I wonder why this peace accord was put together under such a frenetic environment. Was it really necessary to deploy troops so rapidly? It has turned into a play-it-by-ear experience rather than a well-thought-out operation. The bottom line is that President Clinton is playing Russian roulette with American troops, hoping that if the right cards turn up, his reelection will be assured.

ROBERT S. COOPER

San Juan Capistrano

* We waited until the kaiser had conquered much of Europe before we intervened. World War I cost millions of lives.

We waited again until Hitler had invaded much of Europe before we intervened. World War II cost additional millions of lives.

Let us hope that our peaceful intervention in Bosnia is in time to prevent World War III.

EDWIN CANE

San Gabriel