In Test of Bosnia Truce, Civilian Trucks Enter Sarajevo on Serb-Held Route

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — In another small crack in the siege of Sarajevo, four civilian trucks rumbled into the city Friday along a route closed to civilian traffic for the past 3 1/2 years.

Bearing flour and cement, the trucks entered the capital in a modest test of a U.S.-brokered truce, just days before peace talks on Bosnia-Herzegovina are to begin in Ohio.

During lulls in Bosnia’s 3 1/2-year war, the United Nations has won limited freedom of movement for civilian traffic through Serb-held territory, but never along the route used Friday.

The route--the main road southwest out of Sarajevo--passes through Serb-held territory that cuts the city off from the rest of government-held Bosnia.

The Bosnian government offered a muted response to the civilian truck convoy’s uncontested arrival through Serb-held territory.

“As long as a larger number of vehicles with humanitarian aid, commercial goods and civilians are not able to move in and out of Sarajevo, we will consider it a besieged city and will request its real reopening as agreed,” said Amir Hadiziomeragic, deputy minister for relations with the United Nations.