Despite foul-weather frustrations in Bosnia, U.S. military officers are painting an increasingly bright picture for the peace mission.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Howell Estes, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday the Bosnian Serbs are show-ing early signs of cooperation. They have shut down all their air defense radars, for example, he said."These are indications that things are going to go well," Estes said. "I mean, they are in fact abiding by the agreement for the things that they should have done by this point in time. And so, I think we're all very optimistic."
In another good sign, U.S. officials earlier said the foreign Muslim forces who fought on the Bosnian government side during the 31/2-year Bosnia war are beginning to leave the country as required by the Bosnian peace settlement.
In a related matter, House Speaker Newt Gingrich expressed concern about potential attacks on Americans in Bosnia by Iranian fighters who are among an unknown number of Muslim volunteers who battled on the Bosnian government's behalf.
"I am increasingly concerned that Iranian personnel and the Mujahedin fighters may target American forces and other U.S. government personnel," Gingrich wrote President Clinton. The letter, dated Dec. 15, was released by Gingrich's office Monday.
Gingrich, R-Ga., asked that the administration give House Intelligence Committee Chairman Larry Combest, R-Texas, weekly briefings on the threat. Last Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said foreign forces, including the Muslim fighters, "are leaving as they're required to do." He did not mention Iranians.
Although it improved a bit Monday, foulweather in the Balkans has slowed the flow of U.S. troops and equipment to the northeastern part of Bosnia that will be patrolled by a multinational division led by a task force from the Army's 1st Armored Division.
Estes said NATO military commanders still intend, however, to take control in Bosnia on Wednesday, replacing the United Nations.
He said most of the U.S. troops who will monitor the "zones of separation" between the Bosnian Serbs on one side and Bosnian Federation forces on the other are expected to be there by Jan. 19, which is the deadline for the parties to the Bosnian peace treaty to remove troops and weapons from the zones.
Also on Monday, the first of more than 2,000 Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers tapped for Bosnia service began reporting for active duty in Georgia and New Jersey.
Only about 200 of the reservists will actually go to Bosnia, officials said. The rest will fill in for active-duty troops in Germany being sent to Bosnia.
Of the Reserve and National Guard soldiers, an initial group of 795 reported Monday for training and processing at Fort Dix, N.J., and Fort Benning, Ga., said Lt. Gen. George Fisher Jr., head of the U.S. Army Forces Command. They will be there a week or two before moving to Germany or Bosnia.
Fisher said those troops will receive extensive training, including how to deal with snipers, land mines and other hazards. "We're pretty confident that the units are going to be well prepared for their mission," he said.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
E-mail address to soldiers in Bosnia
The Pentagon has established an electronic-mail address to soldiers in Bosnia as part of the Defense Department's BosniaLINK home page on the World Wide Web, which also contains maps and other information on Bosnia.
BosniaLINK now has a message form under the heading "Send your holiday greetings to the troops in Bosnia." It does not allow personal e-mail messages to specific individuals or units, but rather a generic greeting that will be printed in internal military publications and on military TV and radio.
The BosniaLINK address is http://www.dtic.dla.mil/bosnia/.
The Army said last week that it is not yet ready to give out a postal address for which members of the public can send "any soldier" letters or greetings.