The scene in Sarajevo

NATO bombs welcome after long winter of war

September 5, 1995

[Amanpour] From International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- By nightfall Tuesday, it was clear the danger to Sarajevo wasn't over. The four-day pause in shelling gave way to a new round of attacks.

Several shells landed on a hill in the city. People crowded inside their damaged house, the youngest cowering in fear. At least two people had been taken to the hospital.

Earlier, NATO had resumed its bombing campaign after the Bosnian Serbs refused a demand to pull weapons away from the city. U.N. spokesman Alexander Ivanko said the world was getting fed up.

After having its patience tested to the limit over the last few years, NATO now says it regrets having to use force to get the Bosnian Serbs to comply with demands. In a formal statement, NATO said no one should doubt its resolve to see this through.

Jets roared overhead the city Tuesday morning, dropping flares and bombs and zeroing in on Serb military targets. Shortly afterward, the rapid reaction forces on Mount Igman opened up on Serb weapons down below.

"I feel it. We have never been closer to peace and I think these people deserve it."

--Resident of Sarajevo

Many of the NATO troops were once deployed in blue helmets. Now in combat gear, many said this feels better than the humiliation they used to endure at the hands of the Serbs.

The latest barrage excited the children of Sarajevo, who've lived most of their young lives under the gunners in the hills. Now the shells are coming from the sky.

An old man said the airstrikes are like the first flowers after winter. Indeed, it has been a long winter. Sarajevo has lived under the longest siege in modern history.

[Market] Since the world got tough in the last few days, residents have seen results, and they like them. Like the drop in food prices. Two days ago, the U.N. unilaterally opened a road in and out of Sarajevo, allowing more goods to come in.

But while they toast the bombing, Sarajevans also hope it will bring the war to an end. "I feel it," says one woman. "We have never been closer to peace and I think these people deserve it."

The scene in Sarajevo

NATO bombs welcome after long winter of war

"I feel it. We have never been closer to peace and I think these people deserve it."

--Resident of Sarajevo

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