Serbians Seeking to Oust Yugoslavia’s Prime Minister; 13th Truce Is Declared : Balkans: Markovic and his foreign minister have mishandled the crisis, lawmakers assert. The move could speed the country’s breakup.

Serbian politicians who have usurped federal authority moved Friday to oust the last internationally recognized Yugoslav figures: embattled Prime Minister Ante Markovic and his foreign minister, Budimir Loncar.

A parliamentary appeal for their removal came as a senior federal army officer in Zagreb announced a 13th cease-fire in Croatia. The announcement came after troops blasted the Adriatic port of Split and claimed to have finally conquered the eastern Croatian city of Vukovar after a three-month siege.

At least three sailors were killed and ancient Roman monuments damaged when federal warships shelled Split earlier in the day, Croatian Radio reported.

The political maneuvering in Belgrade and the latest escalation in naval assaults along the Croatian coast offered little hope of a lasting halt to the Serb-Croat war, which reportedly has killed at least 7,000 people.

Markovic and Loncar, the last two Croatians in the top ranks of the paralyzed Yugoslav government, should be removed for mishandling the current crisis, deputies of the federal Parliament stated in no-confidence motions against the two officials.

The predominantly Serbian lawmakers called on the federal presidency--also recently taken over by Serbs--to remove Markovic and Loncar from office.

If endorsed by the collective presidency, the move would strip the Yugoslav federation of its last--though mostly symbolic--vestiges of authority, transfer all power to Serbian officials and allow the rise of an expanded Serbian state.

But it could also trigger angry reaction abroad, as foreign countries continue to cling to the notion of Yugoslavia as a single state despite the political chaos left by republic declarations of secession and nearly five months of civil war.

Removal of Markovic, a free-market reformer who has lobbied Western countries to press for continued Yugoslav unity, could be judged abroad as a Serbian coup and hasten recognition of the independence declared by Slovenia and Croatia on June 25.

Markovic has virtually no political authority, but Western diplomats acknowledge that his departure would complicate continued recognition of any surviving Yugoslav state.

The Parliament’s power to legislate is disputed by three of the six Yugoslav republics--Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia, which have pulled their deputies out of the legislature. Even the federal news agency Tanjug, which has taken on a decidedly Serbian slant in recent weeks, issued a precautionary note after its report on the parliamentary action to inform readers that the legality of the move is in dispute.

Markovic has openly criticized the federal army for its aggressive march through Croatia, where it has seized one-third of the republic’s territory on behalf of Serbian militants. The prime minister has called for the firing of Defense Minister Veljko Kadijevic and accused him of “attempted murder” after the army bombed the Croatian presidential palace Oct. 7.

Most of Markovic’s Cabinet is Serbian, and the ministers have refused to implement his orders and economic reforms.

Getting rid of Markovic would give Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic unrestricted control of all functions formerly in the hands of the federal government based in Belgrade, which is also the Serbian capital. The Serbian republic leadership already performs those functions in practice, but Markovic and Loncar have been able to influence foreign policy and thwart some new expansions of the money supply.

Milosevic needs to print new dinars to mollify the federal army, which has fought his political battles in Croatia but has lately shown signs of division and strain.

Kadijevic on Thursday pledged military support for the deployment of U.N. peacekeeping troops to separate the warring factions, if the political leadership so decides.

But one of his deputy defense ministers, Gen. Marko Negovanovic, was quoted in this week’s edition of the Belgrade magazine NIN as saying federal officers would not permit foreign troops along Serbia’s existing border with Croatia. Negovanovic also said that army forces would withdraw from Serbian areas of Croatia only after the entire ethnic dispute is resolved.

Although Serbia, Croatia and the army have voiced support for foreign intervention to halt the fighting, they disagree fundamentally over where the deployment should be and whether Yugoslav troops should be allowed to remain in the disputed areas.

The announcement in Zagreb of another cease-fire agreement was further evidence of the rifts that have opened within the federal military leadership.

Gen. Andrija Raseta, head of the federal forces deployed around Zagreb, said he is confident that the truce he signed with Croatian Vice President Mato Granic would hold.

But Raseta has little if any influence over troops in eastern Croatia, who reportedly have reached the center of shattered Vukovar after a vicious 12-week battle, or with the infantry and Yugoslav navy attacking Croatia’s Adriatic coastline. Likewise, the Croatian leadership in Zagreb has proven unable to control irregular militia units, such as those deployed by the radical right-wing Croatian Party of Rights.

The cease-fire was to take effect at 6 p.m. today, accompanied by talks on withdrawal of federal troops from Croatia. However, the earlier truces have failed to bring peace for more than a few hours.

Profile: Ante Markovic Born: Nov. 25, 1924 Hometown: Konjic, Yugoslavia Education: Zagreb University Career highlights: Fought under Josep Broz Tito against Nazi occupation, World War II; joined Communist Party, 1943; director general, Rade Koncar machine-building enterprise, 1961-86; president of Croatia, 1986-88; Yugoslav prime minister, March, 1989-present Personal: Suave; elegant dresser; witty speaker; fluent in English, German; married with two children; enjoys water sports