Yugoslav conflict spreads

TENSIONS in the central Yugoslavian republic of BosniaHerzegovina have reached feverpitch and fighting could break out there at any time, the Catholic archbishop of Sarajevo warned this week.
If Yugoslavia's civil war spreads, Croatians living in Bosnia will face a bloodbath at the hands of the federal army, Archbishop Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo said.
"Every day is becoming more difficult. Provocations by the army and Serbian extremists are multiplying," said the archbishop. Bosnia declared its independence last week, joining Croatia and Slovenia in their attempt to break with the federal government in Belgrade.
"The Croatians in Bosnia, unlike those in Croatia, do not possess weapons. It is a miracle that war hasn't broken out here, and if it does, we won't be able to defend ourselves. It will be a massacre for us," Archbishop Puljie said.
Bosnia, where the Marian shrine of Medjugorje is situated, has in recent weeks accused Serbia of masterminding the
conflict in Croatia to further expansionist ambitions. "There is a clear anti-Catholic character to these aggressions," the archbishop said.
Priests had been beaten up, churches had been gratuitously attacked and a nun had been mugged and told to "stay off the street in a religious habit", said Archbishop Puljic. Bosnia is the most ethnically mixed of the six Yugoslav republics.
• Yugoslav bishops meeting in Zagreb this week condemned the warring factions for war crimes and the devastation to the country.