U.S., Russians Still Disagree Over Who Should Lead Bosnia Peacekeepers

The United States and Russia disagreed sharply Sunday over who should command a multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Americans insisting that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization be in charge and Russians warning that their troops will not serve under NATO generals.

“Our view remains strongly: (A) that this has to be a NATO operation; (B) that the United States will only participate in a NATO operation, and (C) that there have to be clear lines of operational control,” National Security Adviser Anthony Lake told reporters.

Lake spoke after Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, in an address to the United Nations to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary, complained that NATO is trying to take control of an operation that should be run by the U.N. Security Council.

“It is inadmissible for a regional organization to make decisions on the large-scale use of force, bypassing the Security Council,” Yeltsin said.

The United States and Russia have each offered to contribute as many as 20,000 troops to a force of 60,000 that would patrol cease-fire lines in Bosnia after any peace agreement is reached.

President Clinton and Yeltsin are scheduled to discuss the issue today, but there is little or no chance that the dispute will be settled at their summit, officials said.

“But it’s not a problem that has to be resolved at this point, for the simple reason that there is no peace settlement,” White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said.