Yeltsin Joins Major in Promise to Press for Peace in Bosnia

President Boris N. Yeltsin warned the West on Tuesday not to bypass Russia in authorizing air strikes against the Bosnian Serbs. But he joined British Prime Minister John Major in promising to intensify peacemaking efforts in the former Yugoslav republic.

In return, the visiting British leader voiced support for broader cooperation between Russia and the Group of Seven industrialized nations, “turning the G-7 into a G-8.”

Major is the first Western leader to come to Moscow since NATO threatened last week to bomb Bosnian Serb artillery positions unless they are withdrawn from around Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital. Russian leaders strongly oppose military action against the Serbs, their ethnic and religious kin.

Arriving here Monday on a three-day visit, Major sounded intent on smoothing over the sharp differences between Russia and the West on this issue. After his meeting with Yeltsin in the Kremlin, he appeared to have partly succeeded.

“In general we agree on what’s most important,” an ailing Yeltsin told reporters afterward. “The main thing is to transfer the heavy weapons around Sarajevo to the U.N. forces, and this will put an end to the shelling. And secondly, through negotiations, to make both sides, the Serbs and Muslims, come to the negotiating table.”

But he added a jarring note. “Some quarters are trying to resolve the Bosnia issue without Russia’s participation,” he said. “I would like to stress that they will not succeed. We won’t allow this.”

The warning underlined Moscow’s insistence that a final decision on air strikes be left to the United Nations, where Russia has veto power in the Security Council. Yeltsin made it clear that Russia would support air raids only if U.N. peacekeepers were attacked.

Without mentioning the controversy over U.N. authority, Major insisted that Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have the same objective.

“We wish to bring an end to the bombardment of Sarajevo,” he said.

Major said his country, which has become Russia’s third-largest trading partner, would favor Russian membership in the Council of Europe as well as the G-7 and press for opening all Western markets to more Russian exports.

The two leaders agreed that, starting May 30, they will no longer target each other’s territory with nuclear missiles--an accord identical to one signed last month in Moscow by Yeltsin and President Clinton.

Tuesday was Yeltsin’s first public appearance in more than a week. His office announced last week that he was bedridden by a cold.