Word: slovenia
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...into the weekend -- but only barely. As many as 180 army tanks and armored vehicles that drove out of the federal capital of Belgrade shortly before the new cease-fire rested along the border of Croatia, a republic whose push for independence holds potential for far greater violence than Slovenia's. The question was whether those columns were halted in response to the flurry of diplomatic activity -- or only to regroup for a major assault...
...hours later, the war of ultimatums again heated up. Yugoslavia's eight-member collective presidency demanded that Slovenia surrender control of its 27 border posts within three days. The issue was more than symbolic: in a country where customs duties account for as much as one-third of the government's revenue, the key crossings to Italy, Austria and Hungary are a major source of federal income. Slovenian information minister Jelko Kacin rejoined, "I state categorically that Yugoslavia no longer has a border with Italy or Austria." While Slovenia did demobilize 10,000 members of its forces and respond...
...Slovenia was no more reasonable than the federal government in its demands. Intent on seizing all the arms from the troops sent into the republic and on publicly humbling the army, the republic's government scuttled the first cease-fire by demanding that departing forces turn over all weapons except personal arms before retiring to their barracks. "Provocateurs," said a Western diplomat stationed in Belgrade...
...emanating from Yugoslavia's generals increased speculation that even the army itself did not know what its next move would be. No sooner had Adzic issued his belligerent warning than another general, Andreja Raseta, a Serb from Croatia who is deputy commander of the Yugoslav army units deployed in Slovenia, announced that federal troops would not fire unless they were fired upon. The Defense Minister, General Veljko Kadijevic, in the meantime assured the federal presidency that the army would abide by the cease-fire. Long considered a moderate, he is now suspected by some diplomats of having shown an agreeable...
...failure of the military to speak with a unified voice raised several possibilities. The generals may have been orchestrating a sophisticated good cop-bad cop routine. Perhaps events were moving so swiftly that the threat from Adzic was rendered moot by Slovenia's subsequent announcement of a unilateral cease-fire. Or maybe the generals were acting at cross-purposes...