Despite Accord, Problems Abound In Bosnia Next President Must Decide On Future Of U.S. Troops

Whoever wins the U.S. presidential election Tuesday will quickly face the problem of what to do with American troops in Bosnia.

The fighting is stopped, but implementing other aspects of the U.S.-mediated peace accord reached last Nov. 21 has been patchy and sluggish. That means a substantial multinational military force, most likely led by NATO, must remain through 1997 at least, diplomats and others say.

Despite President Clinton’s promise to get U.S. troops out by December 20, almost everyone in Bosnia wants that force to include Americans.

“I’d like the Americans to stay,” said Haris Burnazovic, a Sarajevo architect. “They can stay 10 years, or forever, because their presence here is the only guarantee and safeguard against the outbreak of a new war. Even the Serbs listen to what they say.”

Colum Murphy, spokesman for Carl Bildt, the senior peace administrator in Bosnia, agrees: “The Europeans have said they won’t stay unless the Americans remain. We believe it would be healthy that the force be trans-Atlantic.”

Defense Secretary William Perry said no final decision had been made on what is next for the NATO-led mission in Bosnia. He was reported to be leaning toward having a large American force in southern Hungary, rather than in Bosnia itself.

There are 12,000 U.S. troops in the NATO-led peace force, and they are expected to leave on time. But a “covering force” of around 5,000 additional U.S. soldiers, now taking up positions to assist withdrawal of the present force, will be in Bosnia until March.

The lag in the military mission only reflects the lag in achieving the goals of the peace accord reached last year in Dayton, Ohio.

The NATO-led force has stopped the fighting, separated armies and put some of their weapons under lock and key.

But, a year after war ceased:

War crimes suspects are still on the loose. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been eased from public view, but remains powerful. Several other less prominent Serbs and Croats indicted by a U.N. war crimes tribunal occupy official posts.

Fewer than 250,000 of Bosnia’s 2 million-plus refugees have returned to their homes, and hardly any have gone back to homes on land now controlled by wartime enemies.

Millions of land mines still litter Bosnia.

While national elections have been held and the presidency comprised of one man from each of the three ethnic communities is meeting, there is neither a functioning national government nor other central institutions.

Municipal elections have been postponed twice, most recently until next spring.

Much of the $1.8 billion in international aid pledged this year has yet to arrive.