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Civil war already beginning, says Croatia
BELGRADE: Civil war fears are growing
in Yugoslavia after at least 16 people were
killed in the bloodiest clashes between Serbs
and Croats since World War II.
The Croatian President, Franjo Tudjman,
said the war was already starting.
Another top Croatian official said some
Croatian policeman were decapitated after
gunbattles on Thursday with members of the
republic's Serbian minority.
uWe are facing, I may say, the beginning of
open warfare against the republic of Cro
atia," Mr Tudjman said in a dramatic televi
sion address, accusing the rival republic of
Serbia of instigating the violence.
The 16 deaths raise the stakes in a crisis
that has worsened since free elections last
year aggravated old ethnic rivalries in Yugo
slavia, a country of 23.5 million people di
vided into six republics.
Local-government officials said 12 Cro
atian policemen and three civilians died in
Thursday's gunbattle in the village of Boro
vo Selo. Fourteen policemcn and six civil
ians were hurt.
Another policeman was killed in the vil
lagc of Palaca, in Croatia's Serbian-dominat
ed Krajina region.
Stipe Mesic, a Croat and Yugoslavia's
Vice-President, said the Croatian policemen
were butchered before they died.
"They were all mutilated, decapitated.
They were treated in the most bestial man
ner," he told Croatian Radio.
Several Croatian police officers in Borovo
Selo, and other Croatian government offi
cials, made similar charges — but they were
not independently confirmed by non-Croats.
The Yugoslav presidency, which can im
pose a state of emergency, announced it
would meet yesterday to discuss the situa
tion in the country after a year of tension
between Serbs and Croats, the biggest ethnic
groups and main rivals.
MrTudjman said he would have to recon
sider relations with Serbia and he was mobi
lising civilians in Croatian troublespbis.
He said Croatia would strive for a peaceful
solution to the crisis but would defend itself
if necessary.
— Reuter
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