SERBIAN PRESIDENT SAYS YUGOSLAVIA'S CIVIL WAR OVER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 28, 1992                   TAG: 9202280009
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA                                LENGTH: Medium
SERBIAN PRESIDENT SAYS YUGOSLAVIA'S CIVIL WAR OVER
President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, who led his republic into a ruinous conflict with Croatia in a failed attempt to hold Yugoslavia together, declared the war over Thursday.
In another sign of eased hostilities, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman ordered the demobilization of 20,000 reservists in his republic, according to a brief report on the Belgrade-based news agency Tanjug. There was no immediate confirmation.
Milosevic's declaration appeared to be a response to mounting opposition inside Serbia over the war's human and economic toll. Many Serbs have turned against the once popular leader and are demanding his resignation.
"Today we can say that most of the agony in our country is over, and that conditions now exist for the peaceful and democratic solution of the Yugoslav crisis," Milosevic told Serbia's parliament as a U.N.-mediated truce stretched to nearly two months.
In a rare speech, Milosevic also seemed to move away from previous insistence that Serb-dominated regions in other republics be united with Serbia. He said Serbia's union with tiny Montenegro in a smaller Yugoslavia was "the best option."
But his close ally, prominent Serb Borisav Jovic, contradicted Milosevic by saying the self-proclaimed Serb republic of Krajina in western Croatia should be part of Yugoslavia.
Croat leaders have vowed to fight giving up any territory.
It remained to be seen whether Serb militants would go along with Milosevic - Croats reported several violations of the cease-fire on Thursday. But most of the insurgents are dependent on Serbia for supplies, and the federal army is dominated by Serbia.
Milosevic, in fact, acknowledged for the first time that his republic armed the Serb insurgents whose revolt against Croatian authority escalated into full-scale war after Croatia declared independence on June 25.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB