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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 1, 1993                   TAG: 9304010175
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS                                LENGTH: Short

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U.N. TARGETS SERB PLANES

The Security Council increased pressure on Bosnia's Serbs on Wednesday by authorizing NATO warplanes to shoot down aircraft that violate a ban on flights over Bosnia.

But the council bowed to the demands of Russia and ruled out pre-emptive bombing of Serb airfields as part of the enforcement measure, diplomats said.

The resolution, a symbolic victory for Bosnia's Muslims, was supported by 14 of the 15 nations on the council. China abstained.

With the resolution, the international community hopes to pressure Bosnian Serbs to sign a peace agreement already approved by Bosnia's Croats and the Muslim government.

The United States, however, apparently persuaded the council not to endorse or approve the peace plan, apparently because Washington wants to retain flexibility should the plan fall through.

Enforcement of the flight ban has little military significance because almost all the attacks on the Muslims have been by ground troops. It has been promoted by Muslim states and other countries as a display of international support for Bosnian Muslims and outrage against Bosnian Serbs.

The outgunned Bosnian government and Muslim states are lobbying for the more militarily significant step of lifting the international arms embargo against Bosnia. But that proposal has not progressed far in the council.

So far, the no-fly zone has been violated 465 times, mostly by nonmilitary flights, U.N. officials say. But recently, small planes attacked Muslim villages in eastern Bosnia.

Keywords:
LEDE

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