This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Waging War To Make Peace

Crash! boom! flash! to the people of Sarajevo, the sounds and bright flares of bombs and gunfire are all too familiar. Their enemies, the Bosnian Serbs, have been shelling the city for 3 1/2 years. More than 10,500 people have been killed, and much of the city has been destroyed.

But for the past two weeks, the sounds of bombing have brought smiles to Sarajevans. The bombs are being dropped not by their enemies but by their protectors: the United States, France, Britain and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is on a mission to force the Serbs to remove the weapons that surround Sarajevo.

When the bombing began on August 30, Sarajevans opened their windows and cheered as bombs lit up the sky like fireworks. "I went to the window with my wife and two children," said Alija Abaz, a teacher. "We stood there and just felt happy."

Bosnian Serbs weren't celebrating. They believe it is wrong for foreign countries to take sides in their war. "America should be ashamed," said Jovanka Todorovic, a Serb living in Pale, near Sarajevo. Todorovic's 5-year-old daughter was cut by flying glass when a bomb fell near their home. "We will defend ourselves," vowed the mother.

A Long, Painful War
Odd though it sounds, the purpose of NATO's bombing is to end the war in Bosnia. That brutal war has raged for 41 months, with fighting among Serbs, Muslims and Croats. Muslims control the government of Bosnia, but the Serbs have been battling to take over the land. Better armed than the Muslims, the Serbs until recently controlled more than 70% of the country.

The war has driven hundreds of thousands of families from their homes and brought suffering to all groups, especially the Muslims. As the death toll rose, the United Nations and NATO looked for a way to help.

In 1993 the United Nations sent in peacekeeping soldiers and set up six "safe areas" to protect Muslims. But the Serbs have teased and tested the peacekeepers. In July, Serb forces took over two safe areas, killing many Muslims. The United Nations and NATO vowed to protect the remaining four safe areas, including Sarajevo.

Then, two weeks ago, the Serbs went too far. A Serb mortar slammed into a Sarajevo shopping area. The blast killed at least 39 people and injured 88. The peacekeepers decided to strike back.

For three days NATO's planes pounded the Serbs. Then NATO and the United Nations gave the Serbs a choice: remove the 300 guns and tanks surrounding Sarajevo within three days or face more bombing. The deadline passed, and still the guns remained. NATO began striking again, this time hitting even more targets.

Progress Toward Peace
The bombing has enraged the Serbs. "The more they bomb us, the stronger we are," boasted Ratko Mladic, military leader of the Bosnian Serbs. But there are also signs that the bombing has convinced Serbs that it is time to make peace.

At peace talks last Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, the warring groups agreed to discuss a United States peace proposal. It would give 49% of Bosnia to Serbs, and 51% to Muslims and Croats. The groups also agreed to the idea of a Serb state within Bosnia. United States mediator Richard Holbrooke called this "an important milestone" on the road toward peace.

For the people of Sarajevo, peace cannot come soon enough. "I long to go out and show my son a zoo and give him fresh fruits," says Snezana Corovic, mother of a 6-year-old. "This has been no life for him."

---

Bosnia Timeline

• June 1991: Yugoslavian states start declaring their independence. Fighting begins
• September 1991: U.N. bans shipment of arms to Yugoslavia
• February 1992: Serbs launch attacks. U.N. decides to send peacekeepers
• May 1992: U.N. accepts new nation of Bosnia as a member
• May 1992: Serb attack Sarajevo begins
• May 1993: U.N. creates safe areas for Muslims
• February 1994: Serbs shell Sarajevo's marketplace; 68 die
• August 1995: Peace talks begin in Paris
• August 1995: Serbs lose Krajina to Croats
• August 28, 1995: Serbs attack central Sarajevo again; 39 die
• Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 1995: NATO planes attack Serb forces
• Sept. 5, 1995: When Serbs refuse to remove guns around Sarajevo, bombing starts again

Next: Hillary's Call for Women's Rights