Bosnian Serbs Snub NATO

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SARAJEVO: Although it takes considerable chutzpah to keep NATO, Muslim, and Croat generals waiting in the rain, Bosnian Serb General Zdravko Tolimir did just that on Monday. When Tolimir did not show up for the meeting which was to mark the resumption of Serb contacts with NATO, the other parties flew out to the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington to carry on sans Serbs. NATO commander Admiral Leighton Smith called Tolimir's absence "not very smart," saying the General's political superiors wanted him to be there. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic had agreed in weekend meetings with U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke in Rome to bring the Bosnian Serbs back to the negotiating table, but he was unable to deliver. "It may be too early to say that the peace process is derailed," says TIME's Bruce Nelan. "This type of behavior is what we can expect from the Serbs, considering their past record of surliness. The Serbs have always resented Milosevic, but it is a safe speculation that their leadership will eventually comply. They will not defy both Milosevic, and the world, indefinitely."