December 27, 1995
Web posted at: 8:30 p.m. EST (0130 GMT)
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- NATO's week-old peace keeping mission had minor cause for celebration Wednesday when rival Bosnian Serbs and government forces retreated from key areas around Sarajevo two hours before a midnight deadline.
Soon after the pullout, French NATO troops, who are policing Sarajevo, stepped tentatively into the abandoned, shell-scarred zones that previously formed part of the rebels' front line.
"I think all our objectives have been met but we will have more details tomorrow," NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Pernod told Reuters.
NATO had given Bosnian Serbs and government forces a list of some 40 positions in Sarajevo from which they were to withdraw in accordance with the peace agreement signed in Paris on December 14.
Diplomats in Sarajevo said Wednesday's deadline was an important indication of the Bosnian Serbs' willingness to abide by the peace treaty, and of NATO's ability to implement it.
Troops will now patrol the relinquished zones, and supervise the removal of land mines.
Another set of deadlines begins January 19 when the peace agreement calls for Bosnian Serbs to turn over Sarajevo districts under their control to the Bosnian government.
A third of NATO's forces are still bogged down on the border of Croatia. Their planned crossing of the Sava River is being challenged by bad weather. Snow was still falling Wednesday, creating a muddy mess for U.S. Army engineers trying to build a bridge across the river. (502K QuickTime movie)
The operation to bridge the Sava and begin moving in U.S. armored units isn't necessarily stalled, but engineers are rethinking their approach in view of the weather.
Conditions were far from ideal. "We estimated the worst possible scenario," said Sgt. Robert Negrich, "and we have it right now." (60K AIFF sound or 60K WAV sound)
Heavy rain across much of Bosnia and Croatia the day after Christmas caused flooding in the plain where NATO forces approach the Sava River. At the same time, unusually warm weather melted snow across the region, swelling streams that feed into the Sava.
The result was that some of the sections of pontoon bridge that were supposed to create a floating platform to move heavy armor were floating instead in the staging areas.
As a stopgap measure, the U.S. military has been using sections of the bridge to float heavy equipment across the Sava. However, that approach is time-consuming and one that military officials would rather not use.
In the southern Bosnian town of Mostar, flash floods forced a helicopter rescue of some of NATO troops. Some 60 Legionnaires from the French Foreign Legion were plucked to safety when a tented camp for 1,000 paratroopers was engulfed by the flooded Neretva River.
Meanwhile, in the northern Bosnia town of Porebrice, rival military commanders held their first regional peace talks Wednesday. U.S. Maj. Gen. William Nash, head of U.S. troops in NATO's Bosnia peace force, convened the meeting so all sides could discuss implementing the peace agreement.
Nash said that making peace work will include allowing freedom of movement for all people in Bosnia. Right now movement is hampered by the up to 6 million mines believed to be buried around the countryside Nash told reporters cleaning up those mines is a priority, but weather has hampered those efforts, as well. (204K AIFF sound or 204K WAV sound)
Back in Washington, Lt. Gen. Howell Estes announced Wednesday that U.S. transport planes will begin landing in Belgrade Thursday. The C-17 planes will fly in equipment that will then be driven to Tuzla. Supreme Allied Commander Gen. George Joulwan will be in Belgrade to greet the planes.
Estes also confirmed the United States will put radar equipment in Sarajevo for 30 days to help monitor possible violations of the peace agreement.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
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