BOSNIAN SERBS BACKED INTO A CORNER

Responding defiantly to a second day of NATO bombardment,Bosnian Serbstook at least 13 U.N. peacekeepers hostage and threatened to kill one hostage for every NATO bomb dropped on Serb ammunition depots. Television viewers around the world saw footage of soldiers handcuffed to poles near theNATOtargets, as the U.N. reiterated its commitment to removing heavy weaponry from Serb control. "We need to silence those guns," said U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard. Serb shells killed 71 in a U.N.-protected townyesterday. But the taking of hostages has put new airstrikes on hold. U.N. officials are pursuing the release of the hostages through diplomatic channels. Massimo Calabresi, TIME central Europe correspondent, says the U.N. and Serbs are now at a standoff. "In the past, the Bosnian Serbs have backed down when faced with these air attacks. This time, they are backed into a corner and isolated, so they are taking a tougher position."