In fact, the Bosnian Serbs, who were part of a joint Serbian delegation, boycotted the initialing ceremony yesterday. They were reportedly upset over the decision to keep Sarajevo united under federation control. Assistant Secretary of State Richard C. Holbrooke, the chief US negotiator who began the peace process with a furious round of shuttle diplomacy 14 weeks ago, said that the future challenges were as daunting as achieving the peace accord. On paper we have peace. To make it work is our next and greatest challenge,' he said.
Implementation is now the key.
The agreement also lifts the United Nations sanctions that have stifled and squeezed the Serbian economy. In the final 24 hours of the peace talks, a deal was struck, fell apart, and was pasted together again. Mediators decided to accelerate and intensify the pace over the weekend. By 4 a.m. Monday, after working straight through the night, an agreement was reached. It lasted for only 37 minutes before Bosnia pulled back, unwilling to concede Brcko, the Serb-held town in the strategically sensitive Posavina Corridor in Northern Bosnia.