YUGOSLAVIA: ARMY INTERVENTION RUMBLINGS GROWING

Created: 11/29/1990

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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Intervention Rumblings Growing

Yugoslav military leaden are lignaliag thai tkey are^ggd to impose

Former Defense Secretary Mamula, who is still close lo the Army command, publicly warned this week that the Army would use "repressive measures" to save the federation and flatlyonfederation on the model proposed by Slovenia and CroatuL The ;f. who visits Washington next week, toidfl ts month that the

epon aaasBssB aBsHatBaaaaBaBBlaB daima all military officers from corps commander rank Fcretly onovember and were told the Army would iterally rather than allow the federation to disintegrate.

These developments suggest the military would be

prepared to act without authorisation by civilian leaders. They coincide with the formationew, hardline Communist party dominated b) iniUL|rv leader* that could serveolitical frontower grab I

If military leaders are prepared for iht probability of fragmenting the armed forces and triggering civil strife, they can easilyretext to impose martial law. Their signals dearly indicate that attempted secession by any republic would be more than enough excuse, so the referendum on secession the Slovenes plan to hold by mid-January could become the occasion for intervention. The military could alsoretext to act sooner,

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