TUZLA AIR BASE, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dec. 21 -- One day after taking control of peacekeeping operations from U.N. troops, NATO soldiers moved Thursday into Bosnian Serb territory, scene of so many U. N. humiliations. U.S. and Scandinavian tanks bulldozed Serb barricades as they opened a path to the Sava River, which separates Croatia and Bosnia. In the Bosnian capital, French tanks swept aside Serb checkpoints that blocked free access to Sarajevo airport for four years. NATO southern commander U.S. Adm. Leighton Smith said the peace implementation force -- known as I-FOR -- was greeted with 'open arms and smiles' as they moved into Serb territory. 'We've been here 24 hours and I'm just tickled pink by what I've seen,' said Smith, who was scheduled Thursday to meet with Bosnian and Serb military officials. In northwest Bosnia, British troops on their way to set up checkpoint 'Blackdog' near the Serb city of Banju Luka swapped war stories and cigarettes with Serbs along the road. The British soldiers, who were until Wednesday were part of the U.N. mission, joked about their quick metamorphosis into NATO troops. 'Last night when we went to bed, we were members of the U.N. peacekeeping force, and today we are members of I-FOR,' said British Capt. John Coditt. Smith said American troops would begin full-scale patrolling of northeast Bosnia, which includes the volatile Posavina Corridor, when U. S. soldiers and engineers, led by Gen. William Nash, bridged the Sava River and established their headquarters in Tuzla. 'Once Bill gets his people set-up in Tuzla, then we will see ourselves spread out,' he said.
But American soldiers along the river are still waiting for equipment to arrive. 'Most of the equipment isn't here yet, so it will probably be next week before the bridge is started,' U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. John Fowler said Wednesday. 'Right now we have to set up camp for these men and women.' Smith emphasized that although they had the authority, NATO soldiers -- at least for now -- will not be asked to disarm the Serbs, Muslims and Croats as a part of their patrol duties. 'I'm not in the disarming business,' Smith said. 'To go from house to house, that's not our mission.' NATO officials said 17,000 soldiers were already in the former Yugoslavia, about a quarter of the 60,000-strong force expected to be in place by mid-February. I-FOR troops will police the peace agreement signed Dec. 14 in Paris by the leaders of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. The agreement divides Bosnia, with one region to be shared by Bosnian Muslims and ethnic Croats, and an autonomous region for Bosnian Serbs. In Brussels, the new NATO chief said Wednesday the high number of NATO soldiers already in place just six days after the accordwas signed 'demonstrates the capacity of NATO to deploy rapidly into Bosnia.' NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana also said he was 'very satisfied' with the cooperation on the ground between the former combatants and I-FOR. He said members of the former warring parties were helping the multinational force neutralize mines buried throughout Bosnia. In Brussels, representatives from more than 40 nations and 20 international organizations gathered Wednesday to pledge donations to an international effort to rebuild Bosnia-Herzegovina. Organized by the European Union and the World Bank, the two-day conference focused on raising $518 million for short-term reconstruction and economic rebuilding efforts. In the long term, at least $5.1 billion is believed to be needed to reconstruct Bosnia.
