Christopher Lobbies for Bosnia Pact : Diplomacy: In Ohio, secretary of state meets three times each with factional leaders. Talks are said to be near an end.

With Bosnia peace talks nearing the make-or-break stage, Secretary of State Warren Christopher held a series of meetings with the conflict’s factional leaders Tuesday, offering U.S. proposals to resolve the disputes blocking a comprehensive settlement.

State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said Christopher met three times each with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic during a marathon day of talks preceding his departure for Japan just before midnight.

Burns said Christopher held a total of 12 hours of meetings. “Differences were narrowed on each of the issues, but it doesn’t mean anything unless there is a final agreement,” he said.

But “there is a different feel to this place than there was on Nov. 1” when the talks began, he said. “They have come a long way.”

Although he refused to supply details, Burns implied that the Dayton talks are nearing the end game. He said the negotiations are expected to go on “into the weekend” and probably into next week. But he said the parties are nearing the point where the talks will either succeed or fail.

“We’re going to stay here as long as we think there is a chance for an agreement,” Burns said.

In Washington, President Clinton told congressional leaders that the parties negotiating in Dayton have made clear that unless the United States provides troops to help police an agreement, “there will be no peace in Bosnia.”

In a nine-page letter responding to the assertion by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) that the chances of congressional approval of the use of U.S. troops are “almost nil,” Clinton outlined the rationale for American participation and launched a vigorous defense of his Administration’s diplomatic and military plans.

Although he said it would cost about $1.5 billion to keep 20,000 U.S. troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a 60,000-troop force led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Clinton argued that “the costs and risks of failing to make peace are far greater.”

“The conflict in Bosnia is the most dangerous threat to European security since World War II,” Clinton wrote. “If the negotiations fail and the war resumes, as it in all probability would, there is a very real risk that it could spread beyond Bosnia, and involve Europe’s new democracies as well as our NATO allies.”

Although there was little in the letter that Administration officials have not already discussed, Clinton’s argument was part of a continuing White House effort to make the case for the commitment of U.S. troops.

In a provision designed to appeal directly to Dole, Clinton said that once a peace agreement is signed, his Administration will urge the U.N. Security Council to end the arms embargo against the Bosnian government and allow it “to arm itself consistent with legitimate requirements of self-defense.”

Unless there is peace, Clinton said, the United States and its allies will have to deal with a continuing flow of refugees and will be obliged to provide massive amounts of humanitarian relief. Moreover, he said, failure to help end the war will do “serious damage to the credibility and effectiveness of NATO and U.S. leadership.”

In Dayton, Burns said Christopher’s talks with Tudjman, Izetbegovic and Milosevic did not settle any of the major issues, including the details of a new constitution; elections; the future of Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, and the way to divide Bosnian territory between the Muslim-Croat federation and the Bosnian Serbs.

Meanwhile, Croatian state television reported that Tudjman selected for a key staff position in the regular Croatian army a Bosnian Croat militia commander who was indicted for war crimes earlier this week. The television report said Tihomir Blaskic was appointed an inspector in the main inspectorate of the Croatian army.

Burns said Christopher was unaware of the report and did not raise the issue with Tudjman. Previously, the U.S. government has insisted that anyone indicted on war crimes charges must be denied positions of responsibility.