HAZARDS AHEAD

Though the Clinton Administration is happy about the Bosnian Serbs signing on to the Balkan peace accord, TIME's Doug Waller reports that the Pentagon is concerned about the long term ability of Milosevic or Karadzic to maintain the peace. "Milosevic can deliver the votes from the senior leaders, but the question is whether they can deliver all the troops," says Waller. "There are a lot of Bosnian Serb soldiers under a very loose command structure. There are freelancers and plenty of just plain armed thugs. And that's a worry to the Pentagon." The other worry, Waller reports, is that President Clinton's belief that one year of peacekeeping will solidify the peace is unrealistic. "The U.S. military doesn't think that the Bosnian Serbs will take on the NATO force directly," says Waller. "You'll see the indirect stuff, sniping and terrorist attacks. But the Pentagon thinks the Serbs will abide the NATO presence through the winter months. It's snowing there. No one fights in the winter. The real test will come in the springtime when the snows thaw and the armies can move. The other thing, say these Pentagon sources, is that they'll just wait out the year."