Last-ditch peace plan to split Bosnia

INTERNATIONAL mediators proposed dividing Bosnia into 10 autonomous provinces yesterday, at peace talks that may be the last chance to avoid Western intervention in the war.

'If no significant progress is made at this round of negotiations, the pressures on governments to take some kind of military action will become irresistible,' said Fred Eckhard, the spokesman for the peace conference in Geneva, which is jointly sponsored by the United Nations and the European Community.

The talks were the first face-to- face meeting of political and military leaders of Bosnia's Muslim-led government, the Croats and the Serbs. They opened against a background of Muslim progress in reversing gains made by the Serbs last spring, when they conquered about 70 per cent of the republic.

Serb and Croat leaders welcomed the plan presented by Lord Owen and Cyrus Vance, co-chairmen of the conference. The Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic called it 'acceptable as a basis for starting negotiations'. Serbs and Croats may believe it will allow them to carve out separate political entities in Bosnia.

The Muslims, determined to recapture lost land and confident that foreign military help will soon be on its way, seemed less enthusiastic. Before arriving in Geneva, Bosnia's Muslim President, Alija Izetbegovic, told his people in a New Year message: 'We have just one solution left: continue the combat, preserve what is liberated, liberate what is stolen and punish the criminals.'

The plan envisages Bosnia as a decentralised state, with most power resting with the provinces. Mr Eckhard said some provinces would have a 'heavy ethnic basis', but denied the plan rewarded ethnic cleansers. 'Despite the ethnic cleansing that has been done so far, Bosnia is still very much an ethnic mix. So it's almost impossible to draw lines on a map.'

Bosnia would be demilitarised under UN and EC supervision. Sarajevo would become an open city and UN forces would patrol 'blue routes' between existing front lines. Membership of the central government would reflect Bosnia's ethnic make-up.

If the Geneva talks prove ineffective, the UN Security Council is likely to pass a Western-backed resolution authorising force against aircraft violating a no-fly zone. In his talks with President Boris Yeltsin in Moscow today, President George Bush is likely to press for Russian support for such a resolution. Kremlin sources quoted by the Russian news agency RIA indicated Moscow had doubts about the use of Western aircraft. 'The Russian side wants a balanced approach in considering the use of (Nato) planes,' RIA said.

Britain fears such attacks may endanger its troops in Bosnia, as well as UN personnel and aid workers, but John Major warned on Friday that the West's patience with the Serbs was wearing thin. Western leaders are anxious for a settlement, partly because Islamic countries have threatened to arm Bosnia and partly because the conflict may spread.

As the talks continued, fighting raged on across Bosnia. In Sarajevo, sporadic small arms, machine-gun and mortar fire could be heard overnight.