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The third of Boutros-Ghali's options takes into account British and French determination to send in more troops and use arms to carry out their mandate. The Secretary-General says if that is their intention, fine, but it is not consistent with a U.N. peacekeeping mission. He recommends that this sort of force -- now in the making -- be reshaped not as a U.N. operation but as a multinational intervention force under command of the countries contributing troops, as was the case initially in Somalia and Haiti. "He's saying," explains a U.N. official, " 'If you want to do more, do it yourselves, because you haven't given me the resources to do it.' " Even more than that, Boutros-Ghali wants the U.N. to return to traditional peacekeeping. Since there is no peace to keep in Bosnia, Option 3 has the force of logic behind it, but London, Paris and Washington insist on retaining the U.N. label. Without it they would turn into a multinational army at war with the Serbs.
What remains is the familiar grim stalemate at a higher level of tension. After the British and French plans take effect, U.N. forces will probably find themselves in armed camps, where they can protect themselves but not the civilian population outside. The Serbs show no sign of willingness to stop fighting and start talking. On the diplomatic track, the only effort under way is Washington's attempt to sweeten an offer Milosevic has rejected before. Even if he agrees to recognize Bosnia for now, he can always change his mind later and resume his quest for a Greater Serbia after the oil is flowing again.
The bombing attacks on the Serb ammunition dumps two weeks ago were an act of desperation. U.S. and European leaders knew the Serbs were likely to shell cities and take hostages in response. But the Serbs had been shelling Sarajevo anyway and were brazenly violating a nato edict excluding heavy weapons from a 12-mile zone around the city. The allies believed they had to do something, anything, to stand up to them. The new show of allied firmness may turn out to be no less desperate and no more effective.
--REPORTED BY EDWARD BARNES/NOVI SAD, MASSIMO CALABRESI/ ZAGREB, J.F.O. MCALLISTER/WASHINGTON, MARGUERITE MICHAELS/NEW YORK AND BRUCE VAN VOORST/NOORDWIJK