YUGOSLAVIA . . . ITS BOSNIANS VS. THE THE UNITED NATIONS

The Bosnian army claimed today that the U.N.'s French peacekeepers started a 45-minute gun battle with Muslim soldiers Monday, adding further fuel to efforts by eight political parties there seeking the dismissal of the commander of the forces. No casualties were reported in the exchange, which took place in a DMZ near Sarajevo. The Bosnians claim that Lt. Gen. Sir Michael Rose is pro-Serb, although he denies both charges. The battle is the latest development in the war, which has claimed 200,000 lives since it began in April 1992.The Muslims are probably wrong about Rose, says TIME Central Europe bureau chief James Graff. Rose arrived after the Serbs had made major gains in taking Muslim territory and his mandate was simply to stop the fighting. "When the Serbs have 70 percent of your land and an international mediator says Ôstop fighting,Õ that's a situation in which naturally the Muslims will say: 'Whose side are you on?' " Graff points out.