Yugoslavia: Trying for a Lasting Truce

The area was peaceful, the weather clear, and the two white helicopters flying toward Zagreb prominently displayed the insignia of the European Community's monitoring mission. Nevertheless, a Yugoslav army MiG-21 fighter fired four air-to-air missiles, scoring a direct hit on one chopper, killing all five observers -- four Italian and one French -- on board.

The victims' coffins, draped with E.C. flags during a memorial service in Zagreb's cathedral the next evening, were a bleak reminder that peace will not come easily to Yugoslavia after six months of civil war. The federal military was quick to refer to "an unwanted and tragic event," and the Serb- controlled federal government offered requisite apologies. But a shake-up in the top military command solidifying Serb dominance led to fresh worries that the army might not fully support the cease-fire. As the U.N. dispatched observers over the weekend to monitor the fragile peace, the truce appeared to be holding. Said a European diplomat in Zagreb: "Every quiet day is a great gift; we've all learned to be modest in our hopes."