Artilery exchanges cloud prospects of Bosnian peace

Artilery exchanges cloud prospects of Bosnian peace

SARAJEVO (Reuter): Government and Serb forces traded artillery fire along Bosnia's battlefronts yesterday to usher in a week in which mediators will try yet again to persuade the combatants to compromise in the interests of peace.

The United Nations reported more fighting in an area of north- central Bosnia that has seen sustained fighting in recent weeks, together with shelling along the Serbs' vital supply corridor close to the Croatian border.

"The exchange of shelling resumed this morning in the area west of Gracanica with a total of 120 detonations reported," said UN military spokesman Commander Eric Chaperon. "The Posavina corridor remained a source of tension with 102 scattered detonations reported yesterday."

There was also fighting in central Bosnia, while Canadian peacekeeping troops came under fire on three occasions. One Canadian soldier was wounded in the face when Moslem troops started shooting.

The continued fighting came as foreign ministers from the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany and France were due to meet in Geneva today to endorse the latest peace plan.

Officials from the five-nation "contact group" were meeting at the German diplomatic mission in Geneva yesterday afternoon to complete their negotiations.

The plan, which awards 51 percent of Bosnia to the Moslem- Croat federation and the rest to the Serbs, who control 70 percent now, will be presented to the warring factions today. They will be given 10 days to take it or leave it.

Neither side has shown any enthusiasm for the proposal and diplomats and UN officials fear the parties will reject it in favor of continuing to try to settle the 27-month-old war on the battlefield -- a process that could take years.

"They'll offer them the map, the Serbs will reject it and then they will all go back to war," a Western diplomat said yesterday.