Yugoslav Factions Call Truce

WARRING Serb, Muslim, and Croat forces agreed yesterday to call a cease-fire in the devastated Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, a senior official in the former Yugoslav republic's presidency said.

A truce with Serb irregulars who have besieged Sarajevo for two months would take effect today, said Mile Akmadzic, secretary-general in the collective Muslim-Croat presidency.

The United Nations may take further steps to pressure the Serb-led Yugoslav state if the sanctions already agreed to do not halt fighting, Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek said yesterday.

"This does not have to be the last word from the [UN] Security Council. I see it really as a first step," Mr. Van den Broek told Dutch Radio.

The Security Council voted Saturday to impose sweeping sanctions on Yugoslavia, including a trade and oil embargo, in an effort to halt fighting in the republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In Belgrade, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic described the UN sanctions as "ridiculous" and denied his republic was responsible for the fighting.