Feuding Yugoslavs on Monday signed yet another plan to halt the fighting in Croatia, agreeing to a call for an immediate cease-fire, independent truce monitors and a future peace conference.
But it remained unclear whether the European Community plan, agreed to by the collective Yugoslav presidency and the six republics, would succeed in halting the two-month bloodletting that has claimed more than 300 lives.Initial reports said fighting died down sharply after the agreement was signed in the early hours. At least eight people were reported killed Sunday in fighting between Serbs and Croats in the breakaway republic, which declared independence June 25.
Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van den Broek, president of the 12-nation European Community that brokered the latest pact, said the signers could now begin the task of securing the truce.
Kiro Gligorov, president of the southern republic of Macedonia and one of those who signed the agreeement, told The Associated Press he hoped the peace conference would start within two weeks.
The plan was signed by Stipe Mesic, head of the eight-member presidency, federal Premier Ante Markovic and the presidents of the six republics. The presidency endorsed it 7-1, with only Serbia's ally, Montenegro, opposing.
Key to the latest initiative was Serbian President Slobodan Milo-sevic, who gave tentative endorsement to the plan Saturday under an EC ultimatum to comply by the close of the weekend or face unspecified sanctions.
Several previous truce plans have failed.
Asked if he saw real prospects now for peace, Milosevic said: "I hope so. But it depends on those paramilitary troops of Croatia - if they stop attacking Serb villages we will have peace."
Croatian President Franjo Tudj-man told reporters in Zagreb: "I don't think everything is solved by a signature on paper. We will carry out everything needed to achieve our goal, which is a sovereign Croatia."
Croatia's government contends that Serb guerrillas, backed by the federal army and supported by Mi-losevic's government, are responsible for the bloodshed.
It accuses Serbia, the largest and dominant Yugoslav republic, of instigating the fighting in a drive to expand its borders with the help of the Serb-dominated federal army.
Serbia claims Croatian authorities are persecuting the Serbian minority and insists Croatia cede Serb-dominated areas if it intends to press on with secession.
Current hatreds are fanned by memories of hundreds of thousands of Serbs slaughtered in death camps run by Croatia's Nazi puppet government in World War II.