Serbs face ultimatum to call off siege of Sarajevo

SENIOR CABINET ministers met last night to finalise instructions for a Nato meeting today which is due to approve the threat of air power to lift the siege of Sarajevo. Officials described it as a 'turning point' for policy on Bosnia.

Douglas Hurd delayed a trip to South Africa for at least 24 hours to attend the Overseas Policy and Defence committee, which includes the Foreign Secretary, John Major and the Secretary of State for Defence, Malcolm Rifkind.

After the meeting, the instructions were to be given to Britain's ambassador to Nato, who with his 15 counterparts in Brussels will complete a plan to lift the siege of Sarajevo after Saturday's mortar attack which killed 68 people.

The Prime Minister told a stormy Commons session: 'If we use air power we must be very clear about the objectives of that action.' But Mr Major added: 'I don't believe we can wait for action to follow an overall settlement. The aim should be to bring about the immediate lifting of the siege of Sarajevo, using all the means necessary, including the use of air power.'

Asked whether British aircraft would take part, an official said: 'We do have air assets in the area. We are not using the word 'ultimatum' ourselves, but that does not mean we disagree with the concept.'

Nato sources said the Allies would agree on an ultimatum demanding that Bosnian Serb forces withdraw from around Sarajevo within 10 days, or face Western air strikes. France, which like Britain has more than 2,000 troops in Bosnia, said it would consider pulling peace-keepers out if Nato failed to demand that Serbs withdraw.

There remain divisions about the nature of any such attacks. This partly reflects different military judgements, but mainly very different political attitudes.

The possibility of attacks against Serbian artillery is 'the most minimalist position', said one source. Greece, the closest to Serbia, is the most reluctant to use force.

The US has suggested going further than the United Nations resolution which lays the ground rules for action. Other states - led by Britain - will insist that action is firmly tied to the longer-term achievement of a peace settlement.

Any air strikes will be opposed by Russia. But because UN Resolution 836 provides for the use of force, Moscow will not be able to block the move.

New York - The Security Council approved the nomination of General Bertrand de Lapresle of France to head the UN peace-keeping force in the former Yugoslavia, AFP reports. Gen De Lapresle, 56, replaces his compatriot, Jean Cot, who publicly disputed the UN role.

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