Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 1, 1994 TAG: 9402010145
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From the Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and The New York
DATELINE: SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA LENGTH: Medium
Bosnian Serb commanders Monday ordered mobilization of all able-bodied adults in their territory for a final push to defeat the Muslim-led government after 22 months of siege.
Rebel military leaders paired the call-up with threats of harsh punishment for deserters and anyone who fails to report to military training centers.
In Washington on Monday, the Clinton administration endorsed a United Nations report threatening air strikes against Bosnian Serbs, while intelligence sources reported that 5,000 to 10,000 Croatian troops had crossed into Bosnia.
Endorsement of U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's report gives new impetus to the threat of air strikes, if the Serbs attack peacekeepers in two key towns.
In a worsening situation, U.S. intelligence estimated Croatia was pouring troops into Bosnia-Herzegovina in an apparent attempt to offset gains by the government's army.
An administration official, insisting on anonymity, said this could lead to U.S. moves in the United Nations to impose the tough economic sanctions on Croatia of the kind that have crippled Serbia's economy.
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who met with Clinton on Monday, said he could not substantiate reports of Croatian troops moving across the border in large numbers. But he said he would disapprove "very severely and find a way to pour my disapproval into practice."
The statement apparently indicates Germany would support the United States in seeking sanctions in the U.N. Security Council.
The Bosnian Serb full-scale mobilization intensified fears of a major offensive against Sarajevo or Tuzla. But the highly publicized directive for all men and women to report to the nearest army garrison may be an attempt to intimidate NATO and U.N. forces.
The chief U.N. mediator in the former Yugoslavia told the Security Council on Monday that Bosnia's Muslims sabotaged the last round of peace talks in January.
The mediator, Thorvald Stoltenberg, said it was a new, last-minute demand by President Alija Izetbegovic that prevented agreement on a mechanism to arbitrate the future of 14 disputed towns.
Implicit in Stoltenberg's remarks, diplomats say, is the belief that the Bosnian government army feels it can make further territorial gains and has no reason to accept a settlement yet.
by CNB