The Bosnian task

President Clinton is right to admit he was wrong — the length of the mission for U.S. troops to Bosnia must be based upon tasks accomplished, not the calendar.

But in admitting that the 8,500 troops won’t be home by June, the president assumes a great responsibility to Congress and to the American people: The tasks, and the means to accomplish them, must be clearly defined; an exit strategy that brings Americans home while ensuring unfortunate Bosnians are not immediately plunged back into hell must be devised; and the stable nations of Europe must be made to understand that keeping peace on their continent is their job.

From the moment U.S. troops joined the international peacekeeping force two years ago, it has been obvious that a timetable-based plan for withdrawal was doomed to fail. Centuries of religious and ethic hatred were uncorked with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Those who seek revenge already enjoyed one orgy of violence and have no problem waiting a while longer for another, especially when there is a date certain.

The 35,000-troop international force has secured an uneasy peace, but Bosnia is nowhere near ready to fend for itself. If those troops withdraw before a joint political institution is created that is strong enough to withstand those who prefer chaos, their entire mission will have been in vain.

One of the first tasks must be to wrest control of the Bosnian media from the control of the political parties by encouraging the growth of independent newspapers and television and radio stations. A civil society cannot be created as long as its citizens are endlessly innundated by print and broadcast exhortations to violence.

Second, a reasonable facsimile of a police force must be established to replace the assortment of armed thugs now at work. Bosnian police, such as they are, have been notoriosly slow and disinterested in rounding up war criminals — just the other day, Dutch troops arrested two after waiting for months for the Bosnian cops to do their duty.

One of the most specific tasks essential to Bosnia’s future is the arrest and prosecution of indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic. The Serb leader directed the slaughter of thousands while in office; he is fully capable of doing the same as a fugitive working underground.

And one of the most difficult tasks facing the president is to convince the powers of Europe — Britain, France and Russia in particular — that their presence in Bosnia must not be tied to America’s. The United States is willing to help build a structure for peace, but it must be up to Europe to maintain it.