By William Drozdiak
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 13 1998; Page A01

Moving to back diplomatic brinkmanship with a credible threat of force, NATO voted early today to authorize airstrikes against Yugoslavia if President Slobodan Milosevic does not withdraw security forces from Kosovo within 96 hours.

The vote came as President Clinton announced in New York that Milosevic had met several of the key international demands, but Clinton said Milosevic's actions would be closely monitored.

"Let me be very clear," Clinton said. "Commitments are not compliance. Balkan graveyards are filled with President Milosevic's broken promises."

In Washington, a Clinton administration official said Milosevic told U.S. special envoy Richard C. Holbrooke that he would comply with the demand that he pull back his security forces; allow access to aid groups; and open negotiations with ethnic-Albanian leaders on "a pretty crisp time line."

In addition, the official said, Milosevic has agreed to accept up to 2,000 civilian observers who would monitor the agreement under auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and allow unchallenged access to airspace over Kosovo for NATO planes to "give NATO eyes from above."

At the same time, however, the official said the Clinton administration had pressed for a NATO activation order that would permit U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, the supreme commander of allied forces in Europe, to launch airstrikes if Milosevic reneges on these commitments. "He has broken too many commitments and too many promises," the official said. "We don't trust him, and we don't want to take away the loaded gun."

Holbrooke flew here Monday night from Belgrade to brief the allies on whether Milosevic was prepared to halt a brutal military crackdown against separatist ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, a province of Yugoslavia's dominant republic, Serbia. The two men have held more than 50 hours of talks over the past week as NATO preparations for intervention gathered momentum.

After Holbrooke briefed NATO ambassadors here, he returned to Belgrade for another meeting with Milosevic today at which he would make a final push to reach a settlement to avert military action.

The decision by NATO's 16 member states was only the second time the alliance has authorized the use of force, Clinton told reporters in New York where he was attending a fund-raising event. The first was in Bosnia in 1995.

The NATO ambassadors gave unanimous consent to an "activation order" conferring authority on NATO's military commander to launch an aerial campaign if Milosevic does not meet the demands of the international community before the deadline.

NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said the 96-hour hiatus was intended to give allied military commanders enough time to sort out logistical matters and "allow the negotiations to bear fruit." He said military pressure had clearly produced progress in the talks and "must be maintained." The 96-hour period would end at 2 a.m. Saturday in Yugoslavia (8 p.m. Friday EDT).

The Western alliance has assembled more than 400 aircraft to wage a sustained campaign against Yugoslavia if Milosevic fails to comply with its demands that he withdraw his forces from Kosovo; permit ethnic-Albanian refugees to return to their homes; and allow humanitarian aid agencies unfettered access to the region.

Milosevic also must agree to a timetable for negotiations that would bring a measure of political autonomy to Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority; pledge cooperation with the war crimes tribunal at the Hague; and permit international observers to verify that he fulfills all conditions.

When he arrived back in Belgrade early this morning, Holbrooke said, "As President Clinton said just a few minutes ago in a public statement in New York, these discussions have resulted in some opportunities for significant steps forward on the path towards peace and away from the dangers of war."

The pace of NATO escalation and the progress of Holbrooke's diplomatic mission have been carefully orchestrated, reflecting the conviction here that Milosevic will only meet the demands if they are backed by force. U.S officials have been arguing vigorously for approval of the order so Holbrooke could exercise maximum leverage in his negotiations with the Yugoslav leader. Washington had hoped all NATO members would approve the order last week, but domestic political considerations in Germany and Italy stalled the process.

U.S. and NATO officials said a decision to launch airstrikes would mark an important milestone for the Western alliance because it would set a precedent for circumventing potential U.N. vetoes by Russia and China -- two of the five permanent members of the Security Council -- over NATO military operations to foster stability in Europe.

The last obstacles were cleared Monday when Germany and Italy -- now run by caretaker governments -- consented to the airstrikes while withholding participation by their troops and aircraft so new governments can make that decision. Italy's consent was crucial because it is the site of major NATO air bases at Aviano and Vicenza, where many air raids would likely originate. NATO's southern command headquarters, which would orchestrate the air attacks, is based in Naples.

If the strikes are carried out, NATO military sources said, the first would almost certainly be made by cruise missiles launched from U.S. vessels in the Mediterranean against Yugoslav air defense systems to eliminate threats to allied planes on subsequent attack flights.

Unless Milosevic fulfills all NATO demands, Clark has warned that he will not hesitate to order a series of phased airstrikes that would gradually intensify. "The whole world is asking: Why would a single man want to risk the ravages of armed conflict and the destruction of his own country in order to maintain a regime of repression which has turned a political problem into a severe and growing humanitarian tragedy?" Clark said.

Besides the risks to its air crews, the alliance may confront a new crisis in its relations with Russia if the airstrikes proceed. Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov warned NATO Monday that the use of military force against Yugoslavia would call into question Moscow's tenuous relationship with the alliance.

Russia has summoned home its ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, and chief military representative, Lt. Gen. Viktor Zavarzin, from their posts at NATO headquarters for what it called urgent consultations. The Russians also have threatened to break an international arms embargo and begin rearming Yugoslavia, a long time Russian ally.

Staff writers Thomas W. Lippman in Washington and John F. Harris in New York contributed to this report.