European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday february 13, 1993 commentary the stars and stripes Page 15 Clinton s Balkan plan avoids promised toughness Leslie h. Gelb finally the . Has accepted a leadership Rolein the Balkan crisis. That is the main Point of the mod est diplomatic initiatives unveiled wednesday by Secre tary of state Warren m. Christopher. Reversing the largely rhetorical and passive stance of the Bush administration president Clinton has no committed the United states to finding a comprehensive plan to combat the deadly virus of nationalism that threatens to obliterate Hope for a new world order. But there should be no illusions about wednesday s presentation. It represents a Retreat from Clinton s promised Tough approach. And the fact that Christopher did the unveiling shows the presi Dent does not want to commit himself fully and personally to this Enterprise. It s also noteworthy that Christopher carefully Side stepped calling his offerings a plan or even a  and rightly so. What he outlined was rather a Means to a plan if one can be devised with the approval of the United nations Western european allies Russia and the warring parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina  the . Military and allies All resisting the use of Force with allies and Russia refusing to Arm bosnian muslims with the United nations digging in against deviations from the Vance Owen peace plan and with widespread concern that foreign crises will divert energies from Domestic priorities the Christopher approach was probably the most Clinton aides could cob ble together  Bottom what Christopher presented reflected a series of complicated bureaucratic and diplomatic com promises a tentative and Tempo izing Patchwork that raises More questions than it answers. First How will the appointment of a special .envoy avoid transforming a . Responsibility into a . Responsibility such usurpation is wrong for the bosnian crisis and disastrous for any Long term Effort to strengthen the United nations. No effective plan for Bosnia will Ever command the necessary International backing unless rooted in the Security Council. Reginald Bartholomew the envoy and a first class pro will be under great pressure from his superiors to act with or without Cyrus r. Vance and lord David Owen. But the Lead should remain with them and the United nations. Second How can Christopher continue to speak publicly of supporting the Vance Owen ethnic enclave proposal thereby undermining the administration s own plans to modify it when he continues to Damn it privately if Clinton aides believe it is fundamentally flawed their own efforts merely to modify it make Little sense. My own View is that no negotiated peace will be possible for some time. Bosnian hatreds run too  if the parties signed an agreement Thev would bloody it daily. No peacekeeping Force of 50,000 or 100,000 or whatever could Stop , while the Christopher approach thankfully of fers to put new Teeth into the economic embargo against Serbia do administration officials really believe this will compel Belgrade to Stop the War let alone Roll Back its territorial gains the currency most appreciated in the Balkans As elsewhere is Force. Fourth does Christopher s dance around the Central Issue of threatening and using Force mean the unite states will not prompt discussions of Force for months to come to be sure he spoke of unspecified . Military involvement to enforce a treaty agreed to by All parties. He also alluded to the possible use of . Troops to help humanitarian deliveries. But these measures barely scratch the surface of what will be needed. In my opinion Only the Prospect of the West s inter vening and or arming croats and bosnian muslims can stun the serbs into stopping. I know Well the fears difficulties and dangers in this course. But i am equally convinced that limited military Means can be found to Send the necessary messages and protect population centers and Aid deliveries Means and manpower far less than the 100,000 troop that will be needed to police any negotiated settlement. European leaders know the futility of diplomacy without Force. But rather than risk using Force they Are prepared to accept the strategic and moral consequences of ethnic cleansing. Clinton now that he has edged toward the Balkan inferno must live up to american values. C the new York times president happier Back on the Campaign Trail things were going just Fine for Bill Clinton until that election interrupted his Campaign. Now president Clinton is try ing to regain the old touch by using the techniques that made him a Winner. He started with a televised question and answer hour from suburban Detroit styling it after the town meetings he held while campaigning his Way to the White  Hope there la be a lot of these Clinton said As time ran out wednesday night. There will. The president and his advisers already have decided on  is a medium the president mastered As a Way out of Campaign trouble last  the first of the 1993 revivals with satellite linked questioners in Seattle Miami and Atlanta As Well As Detroit he said it enabled him to keep in touch wit real people and avoid being walled in the White  said afterwards that the hour Long session kind of put some reality Back into the bigger concerns. Even when people disagree with me 1 think they feel better if they know i m reaching out to them he told Abc news nightlife. Indeed some of the questions wednesday night weren t All that com  was challenged on his move to lift the military s ban on Gays asked politely about broken Campaign pledges and reminded of the Flap of employing illegal aliens that Sun two attorney Gen eral candidates. Still the format enabled Clinton to concentrate mostly on the Economy the Issue he s spent most of his time working on instead of the problems that nagged him since the inauguration. Even so it was easier for candidate Clinton to broadcast plans and Promise before the election than for president Clinton to keep to them. Clinton is to present his economic proposals to Congress in a nationally Tele Walter r. Mears Vised address next wednesday night. Then with specific proposals on the table the revived Campaign will resume with his Cabinet members also hitting the Road. The first round also included vice president at Gore at his own town Hal session wednesday in Ontario calif., while first lady Hillary Rodham Clintonwes to appear thursday at a health care forum in Harrisburg a. Clinton is also using radio addresses from the White House and plans satellite to appearances As other ave Nues to average americans. It s a Way around the filter of the White House press corps coverage he has yet to hold a full scale presidential news conference. Even so Clinton said i answer their reporters questions just about every  presidents have used or at least tried the technique before with varying re sults. Jimmy Carter held town meeting Early in his term beginning with one in the town of Clinton mass., in March 1977. His topics like president Clinton a included Job creation and a pledge of health care Reform. George Bush tried a similar for mat although infrequently Between campaigns. That prompted Clinton to say after the election that the isolation of the presidency was a reason Bush missed the level of misery and anxiety people had on the  the master of the non Stop Campaign was Ronald Reagan although he did it largely from the White House or in set Tings that emphasized the pulpit of the presidency. Reagan used to say that if he could t make Congress see the Light they d feel the heat when he went Over their Heads to the voters. Clinton s Mission is a bit differ ent. He s out to convince americans that the democratic Congress and his administration deserve support not political punishment for difficult votes on his shared sacrifice economic program. I m going to do the Best i can. Listen to what i say next week. Decide whether you think it s fair a he said. C the associated prowl