THAT FIGHTING SPIRIT

Just a week before international talks begin in Dayton, Ohio, to map out a single Bosnian state, the Bosnian Serb assembly voted itself an escape clause. The demand, which requires approval of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, would allow Serb leaders to hold a referendum on the new nation after a year. TIME's Bruce Van Voorst says that Milosevic is likely to reject both demands, and that the vote may simply be part of the Serb negotiating strategy: "It's not clear how much clout Milosevic has with the Bosnian Serbs. But it could be that Milosevic asked for this vote, so he could go to the negotiating session and say his hands are tied. Look for a lot of similar grandstanding in the next few days leading up to this meeting." Expect a number of cease-fire violations, Van Voorst says, and, from Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, threats to retake the Serb-held Eastern Slavonia region of Croatia.