Leaders of Bosnia's warring parties broke up peace talks Thursday without reaching agreement on a European Community proposal on a three-way partition of the state, the Bosnian Croat leader said.
Mate Boban reported no breakthrough after two days of talks with rival Muslims and Serbs under EC auspices, dashing hopes for an overall agreement by Christmas.Boban said peace was not possible as long as Bosnian Muslims continued their offensives against Croat forces in central Bosnia. He claimed that 40 Croatian civilians were killed in Wednesday's offensive on Vitez, Travnik and Buso-vaca. The figure could not be independently confirmed.
Based on the talks here, "prog-ress is possible but only if the offensives cease," Boban told reporters.
Boban said some progress was made to put the city of Mostar under EC administration because it is to become the capital of the future Croat-controlled region in Bosnia. But he said there was no agreement on a Muslim request to use a port on the Adriatic Sea.
EC mediator Lord Owen continued talks with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and Bosnian Muslim President Alija Izet-begovic, but as Boban had left the talks, no agreement could be signed in Brussels.
Thursday's talks began with a flurry of accusations of stalling tactics and reneging on earlier promises.
EC negotiator Lord Owen said he would try to build on the slight progress made Wednesday during renewed talks with the three sides here.
On Wednesday, 12 European Community foreign ministers failed to force a breakthrough in the negotiations despite warning the Serbs they face tighter sanctions if they do not provide a viable state for the Muslims.