UK and US near agreement over Bosnia
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Your support makes all the difference.BRITAIN and the United States will attempt this weekend to settle differences over terms for enforcing international sanctions against Serbia, including the use of force to ensure respect for the UN-imposed no-fly zone over Bosnia.
John Major and the outgoing US President, George Bush, who met in the White House yesterday, will work to find a compromise between their positions on Bosnia during weekend talks at the President's retreat at Camp David.
British officials signalled that the pair were planning to issue a statement in Washington tomorrow. They said the two men would work to 'marry' American calls for military intervention with British concerns that relief workers in Bosnia are not endangered.
It seemed likely that a US-British understanding on limited use of force would be reached by tomorrow, in time for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution next week authorising the use of force. 'There are bound to be some lively conversations over this,' a British official remarked. 'But there is no disagreement over what we need to do, it's just a question of tactics.'
The Prime Minister held a first round of talks with Mr Bush in his role as holder of the European Community presidency, and was accompanied by the EC Commission President, Jacques Delors.
Signalling that Bosnia will be the focus of discussion at Camp David, Mr Major underlined again the importance of not endangering relief workers. 'We agree on the need for a political settlement, but a political settlement that does not endanger the humanitarian effort that is so important for so many people,' he said. The US last night supported a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the use of force and lifting of the arms embargo over Bosnia. Britain and all other EC members abstained in the vote.
The resolution, initiated by Islamic states, is non-binding but in the words of Bosnia's ambassador, Muhamed Sacirbey, it sends 'a clear ethical and moral message to the Security Council from the General Assembly' as the conscience of the UN.
The resolution asks the Security Council to 'use all necessary means' to restore Bosnia's territorial integrity and to lift the arms embargo so Muslims could buy weapons to defend themselves.
One US official said voting for the document did not mean 'we are voting for action', but 'expressing our view that something more assertive must be done'.
George Soros, the billionaire financier, yesterday made the biggest private gift to a humanitarian cause, donating dollars 50m ( pounds 31.7m) to aid agencies in the former Yugoslavia. Mr Soros, aged 62 and born in Hungary, said: 'I'm doing what I can and I think everybody should do what they can do.'
Condemning 'genocide' in Bosnia, he said the money would go to four charities, including Oxfam, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Oxfam, whose director, David Bryer, called the donation 'magnificent', will get an initial dollars 1m ( pounds 637,000), as will the French charity Medecins Sans Frontieres and two other charities.
GEORGE SOROS, the billionaire financier, yesterday made the biggest private gift to a humanitarian cause, donating dollars 50m ( pounds 31.7m) to aid agencies in the former Yugoslavia. Mr Soros, aged 62 and born in Hungary, made almost dollars 1bn for managed funds speculating against the pound on Black Wednesday.
He said: 'I'm doing what I can and I think everybody should do what they can do.' Condemning Bosnia's 'genocide', he said the money will go to four charities and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. David Bryer, Oxfam's director, said it will get an initial dollars 1m ( pounds 637,000), as will Medecins Sans Frontieres, the French charity, International Rescue Committee, from the United States, and the International Save the Children Fund Alliance.
Mr Soros said the UN humanitarian mission had failed as the population still faced extreme hardship. He called on Nato to intervene militarily to enable voluntary organisations to distribute aid effectively.
Moved by experience, page 4
Why Soros cares, page 4
Serbia tense, page 9
Leading article, page 14
Letters, page 15
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