October 10, 1995
Web posted at: 11:15 p.m. EDT (0315 GMT)
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina(CNN) -- For the second day in a row, the latest cease-fire in Bosnia has been delayed. It had been scheduled to take effect just after midnight Wednesday local time following a 24-hour postponement Monday.
The Bosnian government reportedly requested the delay, saying rebel Serbs had not lived up to their promise to restore full electricity to Sarajevo.
Bosnia's warring sides met at the Sarajevo airport Tuesday to discuss whether cease-fire conditions had been met.
The Muslim-led Bosnian government late Tuesday offered a cease-fire starting Thursday at one minute after midnight, U.N. Chief of Mission Antonio Pedauye said at a news briefing. (323K AIFF sound or 323K WAV sound)
But separatist Serb officials told the government at a meeting at a Sarajevo airport they did not have the authority to accept the offer and would give an answer Wednesday.
The chief condition for the cease-fire, restoring gas and electricity in Sarajevo, seemed to have been met, but government officials said there was not enough electricity.
U.N. officials speculated that the government was stalling to give its troops and their Croat allies more time to try and regain territory from Serbs.
Indeed, Bosnian government and Croat troops continued a successful offensive against the Bosnian Serbs. The strategic town of Mrkonjic Grad was reported to have been captured, and there was a renewed effort to the north, near Serb-held Doboj.
Clinton administration officials worried over the second delay in implementing the proposed cease-fire in Bosnia.
"We are concerned," an administration official told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. The official said the United States is anxious for "closure."
The longer the delay in beginning the truce, the more worrisome the situation becomes.
The truce was delayed Monday because of a lack of gas supplies into Sarajevo. Gas is now coming in, but the Bosnian government complains full electricity is not yet on-line.
U.S. officials say they are working in Sarajevo to try to resolve the matter. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday peace talks between the warring factions are set to begin October 31 in the United States.
While the Bosnian government and rebel Serbs sparred over the cease-fire, Sarajevans spent the day just getting used to the luxuries of electricity and gas, which have been restored in the last week.
After six months without electricity, everything from lights to radios to television sets has been turned back on. Downtown Sarajevo opened for business Tuesday, although technical difficulties were zapping the strength of the electrical flow.
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