Yugoslav Republics OK Peace Plan : Balkans: The European Community proposal includes the dispatch of foreign cease-fire monitors to Croatia.

The Yugoslav presidency and the country’s feuding republics today accepted a European Community plan designed to stop months of fierce fighting among Croats, Serbs and the army.

It was unclear, however, whether the latest plan would succeed in ending months of bloodshed in this troubled nation. Earlier attempts at truces have failed.

“The presidency accepts the declaration of the EC ministers,” a spokeswoman told reporters gathered outside the conference room where the eight-member presidency had met.

The plan envisages an international peace conference on Yugoslavia and the dispatch of foreign cease-fire monitors to the battle-torn republic of Croatia. Before implementation, it had to be accepted by leaders of Yugoslavia’s six republics, also gathered in the federal capital.

It was approved 7 to 1 by the presidency, with Montenegro, Serbia’s ally, opposed, the spokeswoman said.

Leaders of the republics approved the plan shortly after a closed-door session, held only hours after the arrival of Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek.

Van den Broek, who is current president of the 12-nation European Community, was carrying the peace plan.

Although cautious, Van den Broek said before his meeting with the presidency and the heads of all six Yugoslav republics that a cease-fire and truce-monitoring plan could be signed within hours.

“We expect to sign an agreement on a reinforced cease-fire and on the stationing of international observers to monitor and guarantee it,” Van den Broek told reporters in the capital, Belgrade.

“We have received sufficient positive indications that make us hopeful that we can conclude this agreement” with all parties, he added.

Serbia was the last holdout, accepting the EC plan Saturday. But even as the peace process was going on, so was the bloodshed. Five people were killed Sunday in renewed fighting, Croatian officials said in Zagreb.

Two villagers died in the mainly ethnic Serb town of Liski Osik when fighting broke out in the nearby village of Gospic, Croatian Interior Ministry officials said.

Two civilians also were killed when Serb rebels launched a mortar attack on the town of Gospic, Croatian television said. The fifth casualty occurred in Daruvar, which also came under fire, along with the nearby village of Pankrac, officials said.

Croatia accuses Serbia of instigating the fighting to make a grab for territory and create a “Greater Serbia.” Serbia says Croatia’s Serbian inhabitants are persecuted.

Meanwhile, all but one of Croatia’s airports reopened Sunday. The republic’s airspace was closed a day earlier when army jets intercepted a Ugandan plane that reportedly was carrying contraband arms to Slovenia for transshipment to Croatia.

Serbian acceptance came a day before an EC ultimatum to comply elapsed. The EC said it would take unspecified action against hard-line Serbia, the nation’s largest republic, if it didn’t accept the plan.

Croatia, along with neighboring Slovenia, declared independence on June 25 after Yugoslav leaders--led by Serbia--refused to agree to their demand that the nation be transformed into a loose association of sovereign states.

The declaration at first led to brief skirmishes between Slovenes and the army in Slovenia, but these ended when the army withdrew.