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Balkans NotebookMontenegro president: We will not compromise with Serbia
January 28, 2000 By Steve Nettleton PODGORICA, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Unless the government of Serbia soon accepts a proposal that redefines Montenegro's status within Yugoslavia, Montenegro will be forced to pursue independence from Belgrade by the end of the year, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said in an interview with CNN Interactive on Friday. "Montenegro will not compromise on its strategic goals," Djukanovic said. "If Belgrade wants to cooperate with us, then there is a chance for the survival of the Yugoslav federation. But if Belgrade wants to continue along the road of conflict with the entire international community, then it is almost certain that Montenegro in the foreseeable future must pursue full independence to realize its strategic, political and economic interests." Under Djukanovic, Montenegro -- Serbia's only remaining partner in Yugoslavia -- has moved to distance itself from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. It has established its own border controls, introduced the German mark as a parallel currency to the Yugoslav dinar and built up a powerful police force independent of Belgrade's authority. Yugoslavia previously had expelled Montenegro from most federal institutions. It denied Djukanovic's party (the victor of Montenegro's 1998 parliamentary elections) the right to name Yugoslavia's prime minister, and Milosevic appointed his old political ally from Montenegro, Momir Bulatovic. Belgrade effectively cut off all trade links between Serbia and Montenegro. Serbian police have blocked shipments of food to Montenegro. Djukanovic expressed concern that Serbia had so far refused to discuss his plan to restructure the country into a "union of states," with each republic maintaining control over its own global affairs, its own monetary system and the military on its territory.
If Belgrade continues to ignore his proposal, Djukanovic said Montenegro would hold a referendum on independence "not later than the end of this year."
Public opinion in Montenegro is sharply divided on the issue of independence. The latest polls show 32 percent in favor of seceding from Yugoslavia and 30 percent opposed. Another 25 percent say they want to keep Montenegro within Yugoslavia, but only as an equal state in a confederation with Serbia. Leaders of Montenegro's Milosevic-allied opposition say Djukanovic has no mandate to call for a referendum. "We believe that we should have early parliamentary elections," said Predrag Bulatovic, vice president of the Montenegro Socialist People's Party. "And in those elections, Mr. Djukanovic should say if he is for independence or not. If he wins in those elections, he would be more than welcome to ask for a referendum. He doesn't have the right at this moment to ask for a referendum, even less to push for independence forcefully." Belgrade has sent mixed signals on how it would react to a referendum for independence. Milosevic said in December that the people of Montenegro have the right to leave Yugoslavia if they vote to do so. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj, an ultranationalist, has said however that any attempt by Montenegro to secede would be "out of the question." Seselj said Yugoslav authorities should intervene to prevent it. In early December, the Yugoslav army, loyal to Milosevic, briefly seized control of the airport in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, one day before the Montenegrin government planned to assume control of the facility. If Milosevic sends the army to crush a move by Montenegro toward secession, Djukanovic said his forces would be able to defend the republic. "When you have as the head of state a man like Slobodan Milosevic, you can expect to see any evil," Djukanovic said. "He already started four Balkan wars, so it would not be a surprise at all if he showed a readiness to start a fifth one."
Djukanovic continued: "I still believe that that will not happen, not because Milosevic is going to change his politics, but because I hope that the Yugoslav army has learned something from its previous wars and it will not let itself be manipulated again." But if war does erupt, Djukanovic said, "I am confident that the authorities of Montenegro would be able to efficiently protect the state of democracy in Montenegro." Asked if he expected military support from the West, Djukanovic said the international community had pledged to provide security in the Balkans. "Attacking the democracy and stability of Montenegro is in fact attacking the policy of the European Union and the United States in this region." Djukanovic said. "So I believe that the international community as well as NATO will be called to protect their policy in the Balkans." Many political analysts suspect, however, that Milosevic, whose term as Yugoslav president expires in 2001, would be happy to let Montenegro leave the federation peacefully, because that would enable him to rewrite the constitution and possibly cling to power as president of Serbia. "I'm sure that this year he will try to destabilize the government of Montenegro, to change the democratic government and to install a government that would be loyal to him -- a government that would provide a dictatorship over Montenegro as well," Djukanovic told CNN Interactive. "As he will not succeed in doing that, as he couldn't succeed in the last two years, I am sure that he will then push Montenegro outside of the federation so that he can continue to be the unchallenged dictator in Serbia." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
