A pause in NATO bombing was acceptable to Holbrooke only if it ended promptly when the Bosnian Serbs failed to lift the siege of Sarajevo. His colleagues warned that the UN and some European governments would resist restarting the attacks. In his account, UN headquarters presented the pause publicly as an American request, obscuring the conditions attached to it. That presentation brought press criticism upon the American team. The disagreement concerned how a temporary opening for talks could affect the ability to resume military pressure.
Notable Point · 3:03:28-3:04:39
The difficulty of restarting NATO bombing after a pause
Holbrooke recounts disagreement over the conditions for a bombing pause and over how the pause was presented publicly.