Word: slovenians
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...foreordained by centuries of ethnic antagonisms -- but the political and military muddle. No one seemed to be in charge, and the country appeared to be sliding into chaos. The federation's civilian leadership looked like spectators at a war of the army's making, while the rebellious Slovenian militia sought ways not just to eject federal troops but to humiliate them as well. The army itself seemed in jeopardy of splintering along the very ethnic lines that surely make Yugoslavia the most Balkanized of Balkan states...
...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 to federal demands to release prisoners and lift blockades around army bases, Kacin warned, "The war is not over...
...were hundreds who had turned themselves in, testimony to the lack of resolve within the ranks. Many of the troops fighting in Slovenia are raw recruits called up this year. Reflecting a conviction shared by many soldiers, Corporal Nebojsa Jankovic, 20, a Serb who saw two comrades killed by Slovenian fire, said of the army's attempted crackdown, "In my mind, it was a mistake...
...Friday afternoon, the army claimed to have secured all 27 border posts, but the Slovenian government insisted that it still controlled a number of crossings. The high command in Belgrade told Slovenian defense minister Janez Jansa that since its objectives had been met, all action would cease. The cease-fire was supposed to go into effect at 9 p.m., but fighting continued well after the deadline, raising disturbing questions about who was in control. And who in Belgrade had ordered the army to attack? Markovic had earlier vowed to use only "legal measures," not force, to keep Slovenia within...
...they could resume negotiations -- or if the army's tactics would provoke more belligerence from Slovenia. Early Saturday each side agreed to cease-fire terms under which the army would withdraw its troops and Slovenia would suspend claims to sovereignty. But the arrangement seems tenuous at best. The Slovenian government stated that it had agreed only to hold off for three months on further steps toward independence. Said Slovenian foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel: "What we've done, we shall keep." After the army issued another harsh threat of "decisive military action," the Slovenian parliament voted to affirm its independence stand...