BALKAN CHALLENGE. The marriage of force and diplomacy sought by the Clinton administration in its renewed diplomatic offensive on Bosnia has subdued the heavy fighting around the cities of Sarajevo and Mostar. But much more diplomacy -- and perhaps force -- will be required to get Bosnia's Muslims, Croats and Serbs over the many hurdles to an overall peace agreement.
Negotiations last weekend in Washington focused on achieving a rapprochement between Muslims and Croats that would lead to a rump confederation constituting about half of Bosnia-Herzegovina's current territory. Even if the two groups can overcome the animosities loosed by almost a year of war, the next stage of talks will need to convince Bosnia's hard-nosed Serbs to surrender almost 30 percent of the territory they conquered and give Muslim refugees the right to return to their homes.
United Nations forces, already stretched thin, will try to keep the guns silent and get relief supplies flowing. This week U.N. peacekeepers are trying to separate the Muslim and Croat forces around Mostar and open Tuzla airport in central Bosnia for relief flights.
If the marriage succeeds and a peace pact is struck, the administration will face its own high hurdle -- the need to convince Congress and the public of the wisdom of deploying the thousands of American soldiers required to implement the deal.
