Agree to Referendum*
The republic leaden' agreement Wednesday to Hold referendum* on Yugoslavia's future reduces Ike immrdiatt risk of confrontation, but
Slovenia still intends to leave the federation by June, andSerb-Croat
tension persists. fifj
Theo be held by the end of May. reportedly will give voters in each republic Ihe choice of remainingederation or of effective independence in an "alliance of sovereignne latter, backed by Croatia and Slovenia, wouldommon economic market and possibly monetary and tariff uni
Slovenia's President Kucan has told other republic leaden Slovenia intends to become an independent state regardless of the results. Slovene officials belicyc_lh_eir legislature nun1 consider immediate
leader Tutljman has
Yugoslavui unless there is agreement on reshaping the countryoose alliance byune.
_ ama
remain aligned against each other in Serb-populated areas of Croatia and in Zagreb, where protests have delayed the treason trial of Croatia's defense minister!
(The referendums will help keep the struggle between the republics in the political arena for now but arc unlikely to affect Ihe largely irreconcilable positions of republic leaders; only Serbia and Montenegrotrong federation. The balloting could increase pension between Serbs and Croats if votes are countedepublicwidc basis and the large and milium Serb minorityoatia finds itself without^
The Army recentlyubstantia) armored and mechanizedn Croatia on alert and almost certainly plans to deter or suppress renewed violence. It undoubtedly regards as provocative Croatia's announcement this week that the republic defense ministry has assumed control of local paramilitary forces, but it is unlikely to respond with force. It probably has avoided repeating last week's highly visible troop deployments so at to lnwfj-in. nmfih. and help keep ethnically mixed areas quiel
Original document.
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