Chernomyrdin will consider this idea and other similar proposals in their discussion today. .I intend to explore and refine these ideas further with administration officials in the coming days to see if it might hold any promise to bring this awful war to a peaceful close. I am not naive. .1 understand that the safety of our NATO forces must be held paramount in any such exploration. .But it is. it seems to me. worth exploring further. .One thing that is clear is that the situation on the ground in Kosovo today and in those countries which border it is unacceptable and likely to worsen considerably in the coming weeks. I am not just talking about a geographical or geopolitical abstraction. the stability of the region. .1 am talking about the human cost of a wider Balkan conflict. .For 50 years. we have spent the blood and treasure of Americans and Europeans to help provide for a stable. peaceful Europe. .1 believe we must again work with the Europeans. and now with the Russians and others. who have historic ties to the Serbs to try to resolve this crisis before the flames of war in Kosovo and the refugee exodus which it has prompted consume the region. Stepped up diplomacy. a possible pause in the airstrikes. and other similar efforts to bring a peaceful and just end to this crisis should be pursued right now. Silence equals betrayal.