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

DATE: SATURDAY, February 12, 1994                   TAG: 9402120132
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA                                LENGTH: Medium

BOSNIAN FOES GIVE UP GUNS; U.S. PRESSURES SERBS

Government and Bosnian Serb troops began surrendering heavy weapons Friday while U.N. peacekeepers fanned out over the mine-infested front to separate the forces.

The truce in Sarajevo, reached Thursday after a NATO threat to bomb the Serbs, was holding fairly well, U.N. officials said.

In an atmosphere of mutual suspicion, the Bosnian army turned over five mortars at the Marshal Tito barracks in central Sarajevo. Serbs turned in 13 mortars, cannons and multibarrel rocket-launchers to U.N. troops in the southwest suburb of Lukavica.

U.N. officers said they hoped to collect more weapons today.

"There is a strong will among the people on both sides to bring an end to this senseless killing," Lt. Gen. Sir Michael Rose, the U.N. commander, said in a statement.

As for the cease-fire violations - about 10 shells fired by each side Thursday - Rose said deploying U.N. troops will make it "increasingly difficult, as we gain control of weapons, for such renegade action to continue."

The United States put new pressure Friday on Bosnia's Serbs to make major concessions to end the war. Secretary of State Warren Christopher also leveled a fresh warning that "any shelling of Sarajevo, starting right now, can be subject to NATO air power."

Christopher also said the United States would work directly with the Muslim-led government to develop a plan for an settlement.

Then, he said, the United States will go to the Serbs and Croats and "try to persuade them, with all the means we have, to respond."

International mediators have been trying to partition the country, but Christopher said the new diplomatic approach could result in a constitutional union of the three major ethnic groups.

Clinton and Christopher tried, meanwhile, to ease friction with Russia over NATO's threat to attack the Serbs.

After two days of trying, Clinton reached President Boris Yeltsin on the telephone and reminded him that U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali had asked NATO to develop a plan to stop the shelling of Sarajevo.

Russia had questioned NATO's decision and suggested there should be a Security Council meeting first.

by CNB