Bosnia Peace Treaty Approved; Use of U.S. Troops Is Sought : Balkans: Clinton calls pact ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict in half a century ‘a chance to turn from the horror of war.’ Peacekeeping force with up to 23,000 Americans would separate combatants.

After almost four years of savage fighting and three weeks of intensive peace talks, competing Balkan warlords approved a comprehensive treaty Tuesday designed to end Europe’s bloodiest war in half a century by dividing Bosnia into ethnic enclaves kept apart by a 60,000-strong international military force.

Presidents Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia and Franjo Tudjman of Croatia initialed the pact in a triumphant ceremony following 48 hours of bargaining that careened from imminent success to near-disaster and back. The ceremony was held in the austere conference room of a utilitarian hotel on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the “diplomatic biosphere” where the bitter rivals were sequestered while they smoothed over their conflict--although they clearly did not obliterate its causes and, in fact, left at least one key territorial issue unresolved.

“After nearly four years of [war with] 250,000 people killed, 2 million refugees, atrocities that have appalled people all over the world, the people of Bosnia finally have a chance to turn from the horror of war to the promise of peace,” President Clinton said in Washington, where he announced the accord in a brief Rose Garden ceremony.

Clinton also sought to lay the groundwork for what could be his most difficult battle: persuading Congress and the American public to send as many as 23,000 U.S. troops to help police the peace.

The outcome of the Dayton conference is the most glittering success yet for Clinton Administration foreign policy and a personal triumph for Secretary of State Warren Christopher and his peace envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, who chaired the talks.

The complex agreement settled--on paper--virtually all of the animosities that touched off the war in April, 1992, and provided a detailed division of powers between the competing ethnic groups. But on the ground in Bosnia, disputes over the agreement flared as soon as the pact was made public.

Holbrooke conceded in remarks at the signing ceremony that “on paper we have peace. To make it work is our next and greatest challenge.”

By initialing the pact, the three presidents committed themselves to carrying out its provisions. The official signing ceremony was left for a conference to be held in Paris within the next two weeks.

Balkan leaders will meet Dec. 8-9 in London with the world’s wealthy nations to talk about reconstruction of the war-torn country and to collect money to pay for it. Germany plans to host a conference later in December to discuss ways of reducing the arsenals of the competing factions to prevent surprise military attacks.

Clinton said the treaty meets Washington’s objective of maintaining Bosnia as “a single state within its present borders.” But the details of the agreement make clear that Bosnia’s central government will be reduced to a foreign policy shell, with most civilian powers, including police, going to the Muslim-Croat federation that will control 51% of the territory and the Bosnian Serb republic, which will get the other 49%.

The central government, to be elected under complex rules designed to assure a share of power for all three ethnic groups, will have responsibility for foreign policy, foreign trade, monetary policy and currency, citizenship, immigration, air-traffic control and other activities linked primarily with foreign relations. That government will control Bosnia’s single seat in the United Nations.

In Dayton, the most difficult bargaining was over the maps that allocate territory to the two entities. In one of the most hotly contested issues, the conference agreed to unify Sarajevo, the capital, as a single city assigned to the Muslim-Croat federation. The barricades and checkpoints that have divided the capital are to be removed, allowing free passage to all areas of the city.

But the conferees were unable to resolve the status of Brcko, the Bosnian Serb town located at the narrow choke point of the Serb-held Posavina corridor in northern Bosnia. That was left for later international arbitration. On Monday, the conference almost foundered over the issue of the Posavina corridor, which links Serb-held land in Bosnia with Serbia.

In the end, no one was completely satisfied with the way the conference carved up Bosnia’s territory and divided the powers of its government. Although Milosevic signed the agreement as representative of the Bosnian Serbs, it was far from certain that the heavily armed rebels will go along with the plan. A previous partition plan was approved by Izetbegovic, Milosevic and Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic but was rejected by the Bosnian Serbs’ self-described parliament.

U.S. officials said there is no role for the parliament in approving this agreement. But no one knows yet how things will play out on the ground.

Momcilo Krajisnik, speaker of the parliament and a member of the Serb delegation in Dayton, told Bosnian Serb television, “What’s been done is an especially big mistake.”

There was also grumbling among Bosnian Muslims. But Izetbegovic defended the agreement: “This may not be [a] just peace, but it is better than continuation of war. In the world as it is, a better peace could not have been obtained.”

Clinton later told Times reporters and editors that Christopher was “despondent” about the chances for an agreement until 9:30 Tuesday morning, when the dynamics of the negotiation suddenly changed.

“I called last night, and Christopher was despondent,” the President said at a reception at the Times Washington bureau. “I got up this morning . . . and Christopher was despondent. I called again at about 9:30, and he was despondent.” But at 10 a.m., Clinton said, he received word that an agreement had suddenly been concluded.

Asked what had made the leaders decide to make a deal, he said, “I don’t know. I think they just didn’t want to go away without one.”

For Clinton, victory may produce more daunting challenges than defeat would have. The agreement calls for a peace force of as many as 60,000 members, led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and including as many as 23,000 Americans. The President faces an uphill battle to persuade Congress to permit the dispatch of U.S. troops.

In his comments announcing the agreement, Clinton sought to quiet congressional concerns.

“I am satisfied that the NATO implementation plan is clear, limited and achievable, and that the risks to our troops are minimized,” he said. “I will promptly consult with Congress when I receive this plan, and if I am fully satisfied with it when I see it in its final form, I will ask Congress to support American participation.

“All the parties have asked for a strong international force to supervise the separation of forces and to give them confidence that each side will live up to their agreements. Only NATO can do that job. And the United States as NATO’s leader must play an essential role in this mission.

“Without us, the hard-won peace would be lost, the war would resume, the slaughter of innocents would begin again, and the conflict that already has claimed so many people could spread like poison throughout the entire region,” the President said.

Izetbegovic, Milosevic and Tudjman all promised to help lobby Congress in support of dispatching U.S. troops. All three said they would reassure the lawmakers that forces under their control would cooperate with international peacekeepers.

The peace agreement establishes a bicameral legislature for the Bosnian central government. Two-thirds of the members will be elected from the Muslim-Croat federation and one-third from the Bosnian Serb republic. It also calls for a three-member collective presidency, again with two members representing the federation. However, an elaborate system of checks and balances gives each community a veto.

The pact calls for all refugees to be allowed to return to their homes or to receive compensation instead. It is far from clear, however, whether persons driven from their homes will take advantage of the offer. And, if they do, it is not clear whether they will get a cordial welcome.

Nevertheless, the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote today to suspend most economic sanctions imposed on the rump Yugoslavia at the start of the war. The Security Council agreed to lift the sanctions entirely if the peace agreement is successfully implemented.

Under a U.S. plan, which will almost certainly be ratified by the Security Council, Yugoslavia will not be allowed membership in the United Nations, World Bank or International Monetary Fund until it demonstrates that it will cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which is investigating war crimes.

The peace agreement bars those facing indictment for war crimes, such as Karadzic and Bosnian Serb military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic, from holding office in any government created by the pact. Moreover, it requires all parties to “cooperate” with the tribunal, a phrase U.S. officials say requires the rump Yugoslavia and the Bosnian Serbs to turn over to the tribunal persons under indictment. But it is not clear that the Serbs will interpret the provision that way.

* WAR TRIALS DOUBTS: Despite accord, showcase war crimes trials unlikely. A16

* CLINTON WEIGHED RISKS: High ambition, hard calculations for Clinton. A17

* RELATED STORIES, A16-17

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Blueprint for Peace

Here are details on the agreement to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.

The Agreement

Following are the key provisions of the peace plan:

BORDERS: Preserve Bosnia-Herzegovina as a single state, but composed of a Bosnian-Croat federation and a Bosnian Serb republic. The different ethnic groups will run most of their own day-to-day affairs within their individual areas.

CAPITAL: Sarajevo will remain the capital, but with a weak central government, including a national parliament, the presidency and a constitutional court.

LEADERS: The presidency and the parliament will be chosen through free, democratic elections held under international supervision.

REFUGEES: They will be allowed to return to their homes.

TRAVEL: People will be able to move freely throughout Bosnia, and the human rights “of every Bosnian citizen” will be monitored by an independent commission and an internationally trained civilian police force.

WAR CRIMES: Individuals charged with war crimes will be excluded from political life.

ENFORCEMENT: A “strong international force” will supervise the separation of forces to give them confidence that each side will live up to its agreements.

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The Territory

Map shows current holdings; exact boundaries under peace plan are not yet clear.

Tuzla: U.S. soldiers are to be deployed here.

Sarajevo: The capital city of will remain united.

Gorazde: Muslim-held town will be linked to Bosnian-Croat federation via land corridor.

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Demographics

Percent of population in Bosina-Herzegovina before the war:

Bosnian Muslims: 44%

Serbs: 33%

Croats: 17%

Other: 6%

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The Roots of War

THE SIDES

Serbs: Living mainly in Serbia and Montenegro but had large minorities in Croatia and Bosnia. They are Orthodox Christians.

Croats: Roman Catholics, traditionally unhappy at Serb power within Yugoslav federation.

Muslims: Living mainly in ethnically mixed towns and cities in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

THE CONFLICT

After the breakup of the Yugoslav federation in 1991, four of its republics--Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia--declared independence. But many Serbs living in Bosnia and Croatia opposed those moves because they wanted to remain part of the Serb-dominated federation. Independence led to fighting in Bosnia and Croatia.

THE CASUALTIES

International agencies believe some 200,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed since war began. Another million or more have lost their homes.