Temporary Hero

BOSNIA, HERZEGOVINA: U.S. Chief Negotiator Richard Holbrooke announced on Monday that tensions in the Balkan hotspot should soon "abate". The delicate Dayton peace accords seemed in danger of disintegrating when Bosnian Muslims, frustrated with the slow pace of investigations, arrested Bosnian Serbs they suspected of war crimes. The Bosnian Serbs retaliated, cutting contact with NATO. Now, after Holbrooke's ministrations, two arrested Bosnian Serbs have been flown to The Hague under heavy guard for either investigation or indictment by the War Crimes Tribunal. The Bosnian Muslims have agreed to make arrests only with Tribunal authorization, only on their own territory. In a further sign that this crisis has passed, Serb engineers joined NATO soldiers in a mine clearing mission. "Holbrooke did his best to get over this bump in the road," says Time's Bruce Nelan. "Unfortunately, the situation is by no means resolved. This compromise may keep the Bosnians from arresting everyone they get their hands on, but it does not solve the question of NATO's role in facilitating the work of the War Crimes Tribunal. There are still plenty of unanswered questions like 'Who will arrest war criminals?' and 'Who will make the investigators safe?' This whole thing will come up again."