No solutions for Bosnia

In New York, the Yugoslav, Croatian and Bosnian foreign ministers agreed on the basic constitutional principles for a post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina -- a single state comprising a Croat-Moslem federation and a Bosnian Serb republic.

On paper, everything is perfect: Bosnia's future parliament will be formed after free and democratic elections. Two-thirds of it will be elected from the Croat-Moslem federation and the remainder from Serb territory, which reflects the ethnic composition of the republic.

Although the meeting included diplomats from Russia, France, Great Britain, Germany and the European Union, it is the Americans who feel they are the victors. They have all the grounds for that: it is their plan which formed the basis of the New York documents.

However, the time for triumph has not come yet: the Bosnian Serbs did not take part in the talks. Their interests were presented by the Yugoslav foreign minister. Recent developments have shown, however, that their views often do not coincide with those of Belgrade.

Besides, against a background of continuing hostilities, defining a constitutional structure for post-war Bosnia seems like a premature move.

Moreover, the parties did not touch upon the delicate problem of territorial claims. Intensive military preparations are under way on the approaches to Banja Luka, the major Bosnian Serb city. It seems that neither Serbs nor Moslems believe that the talks will be successful.

Only a spark is needed to start a war, and the New York agreement says absolutely nothing about one major point -- the dates and terms of a cease-fire.

-- Izvestia, Moscow