Federal and Croatian representatives discussed a cease-fire Tuesday just hours after Yugoslav air force planes rocketed the presidential palace in this Croatian capital, narrowly missing leaders of the separatist republic.
The federal prime minister, Ante Markovic, who was in the building during Monday's strike, also escaped unharmed.Markovic, a Croat who heads the moribund Yugoslav federal government, described the air attack as "attempted murder."
Simon Smith, spokesman for the European Community monitoring group under whose auspices the cease-fire talks were being held on the outskirts of Zagreb said they were mainly "army-to-army discussions."
Simon gave no indication whether agreement was near between the two sides in the Yugoslav civil war.
The meetings were between Federal Gen. Andrea Raseta and Deputy Croatian Defense Minister Col. Imro Agrutic.
The meeting came as fighting died down in Croatia Tuesday 12 hours after the Yugoslav air force allegedly attempted to kill the leaders in the air strike.
Raseta, Agrutic and EC monitors were meeting to discuss a temporary cease-fire called by Franjo Tudjman, the Croatian Republic's president, and hardline Yugoslav Defense Minister Veljko Kadijevic at midnight.
That 24-hour cease-fire call came about after Dutch Foreign Minister and EC chairman Hans van den Broek called both men after the air attack on the presidential offices.
The cease-fire seemed to be holding Tuesday, although there were reports of operations in Osijek and Vukovar, both scenes of some of the worst fighting in the civil war.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade confirmed that a convoy of American citizens and the staff of the U.S. consulate left Zagreb Tuesday to travel to a safer place. He said they were prevented from leaving the previous night by the air attacks on the city. The consular officials are to stay within the consular district by remaining in the northern republic of Slovenia, but about 12 American citizens traveling in the convoy are expected to continue their journey into Austria.
The spokesman said only five or six consular officials had remained in Zagreb in recent weeks after the civil war began threatening the peace of the city.
Around Zagreb, which was mainly quiet Monday night, artillery still could be heard Tuesday afternoon although it was not clear who was firing.
In Dubrovnik, the "all clear" sounded for the first time in three days, allowing residents to walk freely about the streets of the Adriatic city, Radio Zagreb said.
As Raseta and Agrutic met in Zagreb, the Croatian parliament met at a secret location to discuss how to forge ahead with Croatia's independence as well as the latest cease-fire moves.
Raseta arrived at the talks early Tuesday under a letter of safe passage issued by Tudjman and under escort by EC monitors.
Tuesday's cease-fire was an attempt to iron out the seemingly intransigent positions of the federal army and of Croatia.
Raseta made clear Tuesday morning that federal troops would resume operations unless Croatian forces lifted their blockade of federal garrisons.
Croatia has previously maintained that the blockades would not be lifted until a full cease-fire was in effect.