Serbian-led federal forces pounded a hilltop stronghold of Croatian guardsmen in this picturesque Adriatic port Wednesday, sending plumes of black smoke and flames shooting into the air.

The renewed fighting in the besieged city of the secessionist republic came one day after Yugoslav officials agreed to a 12th cease-fire during European Community-sponsored talks in the Hague, Netherlands. The talks on Tuesday failed, however, to achieve a political settlement to the conflict.Meanwhile, Serbian officials accused rival Croatia of attacking two more villages on their territory.

U.N. envoy Cyrus Vance of the United States held talks in Belgrade, the Serbian and Yugoslav capital, with Serbian officials and the largely powerless federal government. Vance has been appointed by the U.N. secretary-general to investigate the conflict, which began after Croatia and Serbia declared independence on June 25.

Croatia's 600,000 Serbs fear they will be persecuted by the republic's nationalist government if it is allowed to break away from Yugoslavia. Their fears are fueled by memories of the Nazi puppet government that massacred thousands of minority Serbs during World War II.

The attack on Dubrovnik involved two navy gunboats and federal artillery positioned on a city hilltop, which fired successive rounds at the fortress located on another hill. The fortress commands the single best view of the city and is a stronghold of Croatia's national guard.

Black smoke and flames could be seen rising from the fortress. Smoke also billowed above a wooded area several hundred yards from Dubrovnik's old town, where Croatian guardsmen were dug in. A 20mm anti-aircraft gun on one of the gunboats repeatedly fired on the area.

The Croat guardsmen responded by firing toward the army positions. Shells criss-crossed over the medieval old town until the fighting died down more than three hours later.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.