For the first time in the 22-month war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Secretary of State Warren Christopher sat down with two of the three warring sides to hear their demands and offer new ideas in an effort to find a formula for peace.

The half-hour meeting at the State Department came as the United States opened talks Saturday in Washington between the Muslim-led Bosnian government and the Croatian faction on an American-backed peace initiative for Bosnia that would unite the Croatian- and Muslim-held parts of the country.

Politically, the two sides are trying to resolve questions like how to structure a government, including the nature of the Parliament, presidency and Constitution.

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