Peace Plan Accepted by Serbs, Croats

In a stormy make-or-break debate that dragged deep into the night, representatives of Yugoslavia’s feuding regions agreed early today to a European Community peace plan designed to halt ethnic bloodshed and dispel the threat of open civil war in the breakaway republic of Croatia.

The plan calls for a cease-fire monitored by European observers in Croatia and a peace conference to include arbitration of disputes between independence-seeking Croats and minority Serbs in Croatia.

Even as Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek wrested agreement from Yugoslavia’s eight-man collective presidency, fighting between Croatian nationalists and Serbian irregulars left more dead in Croatia on Sunday.

Van den Broek came to Belgrade on Sunday a few hours after hard-line Serbia, the last stumbling block, signaled its acceptance of the European initiative. The 12-nation European Community, alarmed at Yugoslavia’s dissolution in violence, accused Serbia of being the aggressor in Croatia and warned of collective action against it if no agreement was reached by Sunday.

Arriving at midafternoon, Van den Broek said he expected quick agreement on the European plan. “We have received sufficient positive indications that make us hopeful that we can conclude this agreement” with all parties, he said.

But the Dutch diplomat, whose nation holds the EC’s revolving presidency for the remainder of the year, walked into a hornet’s nest of ethnic passions fueled by bitter history and a summer of violence that has claimed more than 300 lives.

An earlier peace initiative died aborning last month. This time, what might have been a quick nod to Europe from representatives of republics already on record as supporting the plan became instead an acrimonious wrangle.

At one point, Stipe Mesic, a Croat who is currently Yugoslavia’s president, emerged from the negotiations to complain to reporters that what he called unreasonable demands by Serbia’s representative threatened to torpedo any agreement.

At the meeting, Serbia initially insisted that Croatian forces withdraw to positions they occupied a year ago, Mesic said. “This was unacceptable while 20 Croatian cities are under attack.”

An initial vote was 4 to 4. Then, as Mesic recounted it later, Van den Broek talked tough, warning bluntly that the EC would not alter the terms of its proposal.

“He said it was take it or leave it,” Mesic told reporters.

In the end, Serbia voted for the plan, along with four other republics and two Serbian provinces that are also represented on the presidency. Only Serbian ally Montenegro demurred.

“The presidency accepts the declaration of the EC ministers,” a spokeswoman told reporters. Leaders of the six republics also formally endorsed the plan early today.

Details of how the cease-fire will be implemented and when the 200 international observers will begin arriving are still being worked out.