Yugoslav Leaders Report Progress but No Solutions

The leaders of Yugoslavia’s six republics said they made progress in talks at a crisis summit Thursday but failed to solve their bitter disputes.

Tension still ran high in Croatia after three people were killed in a gun battle Sunday between Serbs and Croats, the largest ethnic groups. Bombs exploded overnight, and Serbs sealed off some towns in Croatia with barricades.

The presidents of the six republics said they made some progress by clarifying their positions but reached no agreement on such fundamental issues as the country’s future shape.

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic said his republic and tiny Montenegro want Yugoslavia to remain under central rule, while Croatia and other republics stuck to their demands for a loose alliance or confederation.

“I must confess it is not clear to me what the compromise solution is. The (confederation) formula is just another name for ending Yugoslavia,” Milosevic told reporters.

The struggle over the country’s future has pushed Yugoslavia toward disintegration, and fears of civil war have increased since Sunday’s clashes. The army has been deployed to keep peace in parts of Croatia.