GENEVA. Sept 8: The main players in the Yugoslav conflict agreed today on basic principles for peace in Bosnia, guaranteeing Bosnia's future territorial Integrity but dividing it up almost equally between Serbs and a Muslim^ Croat alliance, diplomats said, reports Reuter.
They said the agreement was reached during talks between the foreign ministers of Croatia, rump Yugoslavia and Bosnia with US negotiators Richard Holbrooke and members of the contact group of major powers.
Holbrooke, who had said
earlier in the day he hoped to make a major announcement after the talks, had brought forward a planned news conference from 1600 GMT to 1430 GMT.
But diplomats said there was still disagreement over a second document on the status of eastern Slavonia, part of Croatia conquered by Serbia in 1991 and still held by Belgrade.
A document on basic principles agreed by the parties, obtained by Reuters, said: “Bosnia ... will continue its legal existence with its present borders and continuing in-
ternational recognition." •
"Bosnia...will consist of two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as established by the Washington agreements and the Republics Srpska.'
Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacribey said today that an accord outlining Bosnia's future constitution ruled out the possibility of Bosnian Serbs joining a greater Serbia.
"We have cleared up once and for all the possibility of a greater Serbia being created on our doorstep." Sacribey i old reporters after meeting
the- foreign ministers of Croatia and former Yugoslavia.
Sacribey said the Serb entity in Bosnia would be able to have cultural, trading and other such links with Serbia proper, but would not be able to enter into a political confederation that affected Bosnia's sovereignty.
"We have been told explicitly that there would be no confederation.'' he said.
AFP adds: NATO warplanes have extended their air campaign against the Bosnian Serbs to include roads and bridges in the hope of in-creasing the "pain" to batter the Serbs into removing heavy weapons from.around the Bosnian capital. UN officials said today.
Despite several days of bombing raids against Serb military installations. UN officials said there is no sign of the Bosnian Serb leadership caving into Western pressure to remove any of the estimated 300 heavy weapons from around Sarajevo
In Naples, a NATO spokeswoman said the al Hance had no plans to suspend its airstrikes against the Bosnian Serbs in the absence of any sign that they were complying with demands to withdraw their heavy weaponry around Sarajevo.
The missions continued throughout the day yesterday and will continue all day today." said spokeswoman Anna Cansano.
UN military spokesman Chris Vernon told reporters at a morning briefing in Sarajevo that escalating the air campaign was "under consideration as we talk." He added that NATO had been "restraining (its) target lists to see if the (Bosnian Serbs) will react to a lower pain threshold."
NATO planes, he added, had already begun targeting roads and bridges In eastern Bosnia, a hilly and mountainous area with a pre-war Muslim majority that borders Serbia.
In Belgrade, news agen cies said two people were killed and several more wounded following NATO raids overnight In eastern Bosnia, including Foca and Kallnovik.
Previously, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has restricted Itself to "fixed military Installations " such as arms dumps, command centre and anti-air defences.
"The idea Is that much of the logistical elements that come up to support Sarajevo come from that direction. By hitting the lines of communication we devalue and reduce (the Bosnian Serb’s) military capability around Sarajevo." Vernon said.
Bosnian Serb forces have besieged the city since June 1992. frequently targeting the streets when packed with civilians. Following an attack on a downtown market area last month. NATO and the UN Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) mounted an unprecedented campaign against the Serb military machine.