POLITICS-YUGOSLAVIA: Tensions high between Serbia and Montenegro

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic Reprint | | Print |

Vesna Peric Zimonjic

Belgrade, Apr 4 2000 (IPS) - Nine years after the former six member Yugoslav federation fell apart in bloody wars, it appears that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), made up of Serbia and tiny Montenegro, is heading in the same direction.

Montenegrin reform-minded president, Milo Djukanovic, recently warned that “the danger of another war does exist”, because the regime of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic views “democracy as its mortal enemy”.

“Milosevic is afraid that the wave of democracy might spread into Serbia. His (Milosevic’s) regime provoked four wars in the last 10 years (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo) and lives on permanent creation of crises” Djukanovic said.

Addressing journalists in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica, he said that he will do whatever was necessary to avoid provoking Milosevic’s intervention against Montenegro.

Serbs and Montenegrins share the same Orthodox religion and historically most of them consider themselves to be people of the same origin, separated only geographically.

Relations between Serbia, with the population of 7,5 million, and Montenegro (population 650.000), started deteriorating in 1998 when reform minded and Western oriented Djukanovic won the presidential elections in his native republic, defeating pro- Milosevic candidate Momir Bulatovic.

Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) also won the parliamentary elections at the time.

Milosevic never recognised those victories. Under the constitution of FRY, a new delegation of Montenegrin members of parliament were due to join the Yugoslav Federal Parliament and a person from the ruling Montenegrin party – this time Djukanovic’s DPS – was due to be named federal prime minister.

Instead, Milosevic named defeated Montenegrin presidential candidate Bulatovic federal prime minister and kept previous Montenegrin member so parliament in the federal parliament.

For some time now, Yugoslav Army (VJ), that is under strict control of Milosevic, started building up its forces in northern Montenegro.

Since last month, Serbia imposed customs barriers at the administrative border with Montenegro reportedly in an attempt to strangle the economy of its neighbour and prevent food deliveries to the tiny republic.

The tense situation provoked North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, Supreme Commander in Europe, General Wesley Clark, to say last week that Milosevic was planning an action against Montenegro.

“Both with military and paramilitary and economic means, President Milosevic is putting in place the capabilities to take action,” Clark said. “We’ve observed over the last six months how Milosevic has, step by step, tightened the noose around Djukanovic.

“We’re watching this very closely. Milosevic should well understand what NATO’s capabilities are,” Clark said.

Almost immediately, VJ chief of staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic said that his army “was not preparing an intervention in Montenegro”.

Even Bulatovic denied the rumours. “VJ is never, under any circumstances, going to attack Montenegro and its legally elected government, even if Montenegro wants to secede” he said in an interview.

But the situation on the terrain looks different. A month ago VJ started sudden call ups of reservists in central Serbia, saying that they are being drafted “for regular exercise”. Reservists in the town of Kraljevo, 170 kms south of Belgrade, staged public protests for days, refusing to be drafted.

Many said that they suspected they would be used to confront the Montenegrins. A Kraljevo mother with four sons, Dragica Pesic, who took part in protests told IPS: “I will not let them go. Where are they going? To fight their brothers in Montenegro? No way”.

Situation in Montenegro also gives little credit to what VJ or Milosevic’s loyalist Bulatovic say. According to the reports in local media, Second Army of VJ, based in Montenegro, started creating a special battalion made out of Milosevic’s loyalists, coming both from Serbian police or army ranks.

Montenegrin prime minister Filip Vujanovic, in a recent interview to the independent media in Serbia, called the battalion “a paramilitary unit”.

Paramilitary units, created in the past under the auspices of Serb police or army, are blamed for atrocities in all wars in former Yugoslavia.

“The so-called Seventh battalion of Military Police can only be called a paramilitary battalion” Vujanovic said. “The way its members are recruited, trained and paid is not a classic military way” he added.

Highly placed sources within VJ disclosed to the independent media here that the Seventh battalion of the Second Army already has more than 900 men, well above the usual average 300. “If necessary, the Seventh Battalion can have up to 3.000 people” the sources said. M

Opposition parties in Serbia have denounced tensions that exist between the two republics and blame Milosevic for another crisis that might turn into war.

The opposition has good relations with Montenegrin president Djukanovic and reportedly share his views on democratisation and opening towards the West.

“The only hope for Serbia is democratisation in the same way that it has taken place in Montenegro,” said Zoran Djindjic, leader of the opposition Democratic Party said.

Harun Hadzic, one of the leaders of local Muslim community in Montenegro, recently commented on the situation: “We’re waiting for another war to start but we also hope that peace can be saved”.