Croatian leaders and their Bosnian Muslim counterparts sounded a note of caution Tuesday about an agreement between Croatia and Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation to form a joint military command.

The skepticism reflected continuing sensitivities between Bosnia's Muslims and Croats, who fought a bitter yearlong war that ended last spring.The military agreement, announced late Monday on Croatian state TV, toughens the anti-Serb front in both states, where war is expected to break out with fresh fury this spring when the 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers leave Croatia.

Rebel Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia two weeks ago created a joint military command. The risk is high that both states will become embroiled in war simultaneously for the first time since fighting broke out in former Yugoslavia in 1991.

In Sarajevo, meanwhile, the humanitarian airlift was suspended after a U.N. logistics plane was hit by a bullet while landing at the airport Tuesday morning. The origin of the shot was unknown, said U.N. spokesman Maj. Herve Gour-mel-on.

The agreement to found a joint military headquarters was greeted with fanfare by military and political leaders involved from Croatia, the Bosnian Croats and Bosnia's Muslims.

Kresimir Zubak, the president of the Bosnian Muslim-Croat federation, said, "We have reached an agreement which I think is very significant and which describes how we could act together."

Gen. Janko Bobetko, chief of staff of Croatia's army, and Gen. Rasim Delic, commander of the Muslim-led Bosnian government troops, confirmed Zubak's words. Delic noted that such an agreement should have come three years ago.

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In the spring of 1992, the Serbs rebelled against Bosnia's secession from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. With the help from Serbia proper, they grabbed 70 percent of Bosnia.

But Zubak and Ejup Ganic, the Bosnian vice president, stressed Tuesday that nothing had been signed Monday.

Zubak explained that a document could not be signed because the Bosnian army answers to the Bosnian presidency, and Ganic alone could not confirm in writing "what the generals agreed."

That left unclear when a formal accord would be signed.

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