Although he stressed that political efforts to get the two parties into peace talks were the immediate priority, Annan said the threat of action could help diplomacy succeed. ``If it becomes necessary to use force, we will have to look at it. But the threat is essential,'' Annan said after talks with NATO ambassadors here. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana refused to give details of the terms of the military threat agreed between the allies. But he said that the alliance was ready to support international peace efforts ``with all its capabilities.''

In his speech to the alliance ambassadors, Annan said the experience of Bosnia and other recent conflicts had left the international community no illusions about the difficulty of halting internal conflicts. ``But nor have they left us with any illusions about the need to use force, when all other means have failed."