Serbs, Croats Agree to Start Peace Talks
Serbs and Croats, the main rivals in Yugoslavia’s bloody breakup, agreed Wednesday to hold their first talks on formally ending their vicious 1991 war, which later engulfed Bosnia.
Talks between leaders of Croatia’s Serbs and the Croatian government will take place next Tuesday at the Russian Embassy in Zagreb, another indication that Moscow, as well as Washington, is pushing hard for an overall peace.
Balkan bloodletting began when Serbs rebelled against Croatian independence during the breakup of the former Yugoslav federation.
The ensuing war killed at least 10,000 people before a U.N.-brokered truce brought an uneasy peace to the one-third of Croatia that Serbs control. More than 200,000 people are dead or missing in the Bosnian conflict.
Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s special envoy on Yugoslavia, said the talks should yield a formal agreement ceasing military and all other hostilities between Croats and Serbs in Croatia.
Churkin said he will travel today to Washington, where Bosnia’s Croats and Muslims are to sign an agreement on a U.S.-backed federation Friday.
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