To the Editor:I note with trepidation Mr. Steinfels comment that the "Vatican'sprecipitous recognition" of Croatia may have "helped spark the Balkanconflict."The Vatican extended recognition to Croatia well after the war hadbegun. By the time recognition occurred, Serb forces had alreadymassacred thousands of civilians, ethnically cleansed tens of thousandsmore, destroyed the city of Vukovar and laid siege to Dubrovnik.A look at the history books shows that recognition by the Vatican andthe EU states of both Croatia and Slovenia led to the almost immediatecessation of large scale military operations in Croatia in January 1992.Very truly yours,John Peter KraljicDear all,Josip Remnar sent around a NYT article by Peter Steinfels about the Popenot getting the Nobel Prize. In it, Steinfels repeated the fallacy thatthe Vatican may have misstepped politically through its "precipitousrecognition of Croatia" . I sent the following letter in response.regardsSanja**************Dear Editor,Why does Peter Steinfels continue to promote the tired old cant that"precipitous recognition of Croatia" caused the wars in formerYugoslavia? ("A Nobel Opportunity Missed", Oct. 11)In order to be a precipitating cause, an event has to happen first, doesit not? However, Serbian forces had invaded Slovenia, shelled Dubrovnikand other Croatian cities, pounded Vukovar into dust, killed over 20,000non-Serbs and "ethnically cleansed" a further 250,000 from their homesin Croatia months before Croatia was officially recognized as anindependent state.Further, Serbian forces had already dug in around Sarajevo and othercities in Bosnia and were conducting their own smaller-scale campaignsof ethnic cleansing there months before Croatia was recognized.So tell me again how Croatian recognition "precipitated" a war that hadbegun months earlier?Sincerely,Sanja Carolina