THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150242
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
The United States plans to contribute up to $600 million to an international effort to rebuild war-torn Bosnia if a peace settlement is reached, President Clinton said in a letter to House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
That sum is in addition to an estimated $1.5 billion cost of putting about 20,000 American troops in Bosnia for one year as part of a NATO-led peace implementation force.
Although the financial cost of U.S. involvement in Bosnia has not been the main point of controversy in Congress, many on Capitol Hill say U.S. interests there are not great enough to justify risking the lives of U.S. troops.
Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole told Clinton in a letter released Monday that congressional support for sending American troops to Bosnia was ``virtually nil.''
In his letter, dated Monday and released Tuesday, Clinton reiterated his view that the United States must take a lead role in the peace implementation force, and he said Congress would have a chance to debate the matter before American forces are sent. He added, however, that ``a small amount'' of communications and other support troops would be sent even before Congress acted.
Meanwhile, peace talks in Dayton, Ohio, continued.
Going all-out for a settlement of the Bosnia war, Secretary of State Warren Christopher ran up against hard stands on territory and the future of Sarajevo Tuesday as he held daylong talks with Balkan leaders.
A comprehensive accord did not appear imminent, but the Clinton administration remained unwilling to suspend the talks with a partial settlement.
``We do not anticipate a resolution of all the major issues today,'' State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said. ``Our negotiating team is certainly willing to work with these parties for the next few days or perhaps into next week.''
In ruling out a partial accord, American negotiators are determined to settle hard-core issues of territory, separation of forces, an election and a new Bosnian constitution.
KEYWORDS: BOSNIA COST by CNB