Hopes Ebb And Flow

Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic raised and dashed hopes several times Thursday, after seeming to offer the release of three American soldiers held captive by Serbian forces.

The acting president of Cyprus flew to Belgrade to make a deal. But now some diplomatic sources in Belgrade say privately that the release of the American soldiers isn't going to happen. And publicly Milosevic's domestic allies again threaten to put the soldiers on trial.

The Yugoslavian presidentÂ's supposed offer to release the American soldiers has been viewed with much skepticism because some other recent gestures from Milosevic turned out to be less than they seemed.

For example, Milosevic offered a ceasefire in Kosovo only after his forces had already committed widespread, confirmed rapes, murders, and looting and sent some 500,000 refugees into exile.

Diplomatic analysts suggest Milosevic may be shaken by two weeks of air strikes and is now trying to use the American soldiers as bargaining chips, as hostages to be ransomed.

He may be trying to buy time. He may be trying to dissuade the U.S. and its NATO allies from their goals of removing Milosevic's forces from Kosovo, returning the refugees to their homes, and attempting to guarantee some form of peace and stability in the region. The Clinton Administration vows not to back down.

And so the wait -- and the war -- goes on. Three American soldiers are still in captivity. The bombing runs continue.