
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 27, 1995                   TAG: 9509270067
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

BOSNIA FACTIONS SET PACT

Prodded by the United States, Bosnia's warring factions agreed Tuesday to guidelines for elections and a future government for their ethnically torn country, but remained far apart on how to stop the fighting.

All sides hailed the agreement as a step toward peace, but their varying interpretations of what it meant highlighted the arduous work that lay ahead in ending the 31/2-year-old war.

``There is no guarantee of success, but today's agreement moves us closer to the ultimate goal of a genuine peace,'' President Clinton said in a brief White House news conference.

The main issue at the talks was how much power should be given to central authorities in a Bosnian state divided between rebel Serbs and a Muslim-Croat federation.

Bosnian Serbs rebelled in April 1992 against the Muslim-led government's decision to secede from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia.

The Bosnian Serbs, who want to eventually unite their land with neighboring Serbia, had opposed a strong central government. The Muslims, who hope to keep Bosnia intact, wanted to make it as powerful as possible.

Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic in Sarajevo said the principles drafted Tuesday provided the ``minimum of the institutions'' needed to continue ``the legal existence of our state.''

Yet, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic hailed the agreement as ``a confirmation of the existence of Republika Srpska,'' which is what the Serbs call their territory in Bosnia.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, the lead U.S. negotiator for Bosnia, called the agreement ``one more important step on the road to peace'' but warned, ``We still have a long and difficult path ahead of us.''

At the start of Tuesday's talks, held at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Secretary of State Warren Christopher urged the parties to seize ``the moment in history'' to reach a cease-fire. That did not happen.

Holbrooke said later that a cease-fire was discussed but the two sides were too far apart.

Holbrooke and his team will fly to Sarajevo Thursday for another round of shuttle diplomacy, but Holbrooke said he did not expect to secure a cease-fire soon, ``based on what we were hearing today.''

Asked if he was satisfied with Tuesday's agreement, Holbrooke replied, ``We can't be satisfied, the war is still going on.''

The negotiations were the first since a U.S.-brokered agreement was clinched Sept. 8 in Geneva. That agreement proposed keeping Bosnia's external borders intact while dividing the state roughly 50-50 between Serbs and the Muslim-Croat federation.

Tuesday's agreement calls for democratic elections to be held simultaneously in the Bosnian Serb and Muslim-Croat parts of the country at an undetermined date, after fighting ends and ``social conditions permit.'' International observers will determine exactly when things have improved enough for the elections.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Ministers Mate Granic of Croatia; Milan Milutinovic of Serbia, who represented the Bosnian Serbs; and Muhamed Sacirbey of Bosnia.

MAIN POINTS OF AGREEMENT

Main tenets of the constitutional principles for Bosnia

agreed to in New York on Tuesday:

Democratic elections will be held simultaneously in the Bosnian Serb and Muslim-Croat entities at an undetermined date, after fighting ends and conditions for a free ballot are created.

International observers stationed in Bosnia's principal cities will issue monthly reports on whether conditions have improved sufficiently to allow for elections.

Both entities will support freedom of movement, the right of refugees to return or receive just compensation for their homes, allow free speech and protect human rights.

Two-thirds of an all-Bosnian parliament will be elected by the Muslim-Croat federation and one-third by the Serb republic. Parliamentary action will be by majority vote, provided that includes at least one-third of the votes on each side.

Bosnia-Herzegovina will be governed by a collective presidency with two-thirds of its members chosen by the Muslim-Croat federation and one-third by the Serb republic. Decisions will be by majority vote. However, a dissenting vote by one-third of its members can block any action.

A joint cabinet of government ministers will be established, along with a constitutional court.

Keywords:
INFOLINE

by CNB