YUGOSLAVIA: ARMY DEPLOYS TO TROUBLE SPOTS

Created: 4/4/1991

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

YUGOSLAVIA: Army Deploy*ouble Spots

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eporlsinaicaTcelemcruToTa^ ^rrerT^meoDrigadcalsomovcd through eihntcaily mixed rewns in eastern Croatia. The federal Presidency met yesterday with republic presidents but issuedague statement pledging to continueolitical solution; the republic presidents plan to meet again today. Serbs in eastern Croaiiaolice station, but there were no other reports of violence. Leaders in the Serb-majority enclave claim they will drive Croatian police forces from the region if the Army docs not.

is uncleai whether the federal Presidency authorized the Army deployments, bul it may have been provoked to do so when Croatia rejected its demand Tuesday to withdraw its police forces

it control over towns O'

1

from the Serb enclave. The Army mayhow of force will reduce tension, as it did last year in Kosovo Province, but Serb radicals appear bent on separation from Croatia and probably will instigate further violence. Croatian leaders appear to have stopped the police patrols that led lo confrontations with Serbs in recent days, presumably to prevent Clhnic violence the Army could use as justification for intervention. Croatian leaders nonetheless will view the Army maneuvershreat and probably will consider any widespread military efforts to assert control over towns or rail lines grounds to move toward secession.