Bosnia is braced for US airdrops: Christopher warns of world going up in flames if fighting is not quelled

MUSLIMS besieged in eastern Bosnia were expecting their first air drop of humanitarian aid early today in spite of fears that US planes could miss areas most in need of help.

German television reported that three Hercules C-130 transport planes left the US airbase at Frankfurt to drop crates of food and medicine to the villagers stranded in the mountains by fighting between Muslims and Serbs.

At the weekend two US Hercules C-130s scattered more than a million leaflets over eastern Bosnia, telling people to expect food bundles within 24 hours. But radio ham reports from the three besieged enclaves, picked up in Zagreb, said at least three Muslim towns did not receive leaflets, raising fears among their inhabitants that they may get no food and medicine.

Srebrenica, Gorazde and Cerska, are desperate for help. Cerska's estimated 20,000 Muslims have had no outside help in 11 months of fighting, and are constantly under Serb shellfire. The mayor of Gorazde said: 'I hope the planes are more efficient when they come to dropping the food.' Defending America's increasing involvement in the crisis in Bosnia, the Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, warned yesterday - in unusually dramatic terms - of the world 'going up in flames' if the fighting there was not quelled and prevented from spreading.

Suggesting that Greece and Turkey, both Nato members, could be sucked into the conflict, Mr Christopher said that the 'United States has an important stake in stopping the world going up in flames'.

The remarks seemed aimed at preparing domestic public opinion for a long and perhaps deepening role in resolving the conflict. He reaffirmed that America would take part in enforcing any peace agreement reached in New York, with ground troops or air power.

And Mr Christopher played down expectations that the air drop would necessarily be over in a few days. It could last longer, he said, perhaps with other countries joining in. A US pilot who took part in the leaflet operation replied to suggestions that the leaflets had missed their targets: 'The leaflets were dropped in eastern Bosnia in locations identified by the United Nations.'

The planes may have flown too high. Dropped from about 10,000 feet, the leaflets could have taken up to 90 minutes to land, and may have scattered miles from their targets.

The leaflets, in two languages, contain this message to the Serbs: 'American planes will provide aid for all people. Do not shoot at American planes.' They warn people against approaching the bundles before they touch the ground. Each parcel weighs about 500kg - more than enough to crash through a roof when parachuted from several thousand feet.

The bundles contain ready-to- eat meals and medicines. In the enclaves, the lack of disinfectants, penicillin, painkillers, anaesthetics and basic medicines kills at least as many people as the shortage of food.

The planes returned without incident to their base at Rhein- Main, Frankfurt, additional confirmation that Bosnian Serbs are abiding by a pledge not to open fire on aid planes.

Bosnian Serb military chiefs have said they will not shoot at the planes, although rump Yugoslav army chiefs have condemned the action as 'a misuse of humanitarian aid', and have warned that it could spark a wider war.

The United Nations took two Serbs, one Croat and one Muslim to inspect the loading of the aid bundles. The gesture was mainly to allay Bosnian Serb suspicions that the US was dropping arms to Muslims.

On the prospects of a peace agreement in New York, Mr Christopher ruled out Washington putting forward any alternative to the Owen-Vance proposals that would split Bosnia into 10 enclaves. He added that 'it would be desirable to simplify' the map on the table. Lord Owen and Cyrus Vance had indicated 'that the plan is malleable and could be changed' to make it more attractive to the Bosnian Muslims.

(Photograph omitted)

Peace talks resume, page 9

Leading article; letters, page 16