MONTENEGRO IN ISOLATION

Held Hostage of Belgrade

AIM Podgorica, 18 December, 1997

Slobodan Milosevic, with the help of Momir Bulatovic, is making Montenegro one of the most isolated countries in the world. By blocking Montenegrin borders and by international isolation of the entire state, the current federal boss is paving the road to economic and political crushing of the smaller member-republic. A similar scenario to the one deja vu in the beginning of the nineties, when Slovenia, and later on Croatia and Bosnia were paying for their disobedience, is nowadys being repeated with Montenegro.

With false concern that Montenegro was threatened by Albania as the pretext, the Army of Yugoslavia, by order of the "dictator from Dedinje" (elite part of Belgrade where Milosevic resides), has closed the border with the land of eagles. The border with Croatia has been closed since a long time ago, and the ramp between Montenegro and Serbia is an insurmountable barrier for commodities from the smaller of the "equal" republics. At the entrance to Serbia, on the main roads near Rozaje and Prijepolje, the official Belgrade has placed strong police forces and constructed buildings of solid material, which indicates that a long lasting blockade is planned. Strict control is also introduced in trains running between Belgrade and the port of Bar, and even the local macadam roads between Montenegro and Serbia are blocked.

While Milosevic is tightening the rope around rebellious Montenegro, its current president Momir Bulatovic believes the blockade of the state he is at the head of justified.

    "The Montenegrin government advocates opening of the

border towards Albania and Croatia only in order to make smuggling easier, in other words, in order to easily bring narcotics and arms into the country", said Bulatovic at the gathering of his sympathizers in Niksic. During his unsuccessful presidential campaign, the current president explained even the ramp at the Serbian-Montenegrin border by alleged struggle against crime.

Apart from justifying the blockade of the Montenegrin border, Bulatovic, in the capacity of the Montenegrin president, thinks that citizens of Montenegro would not have lived any better even if they had been part of the international community: "Prolonged outer wall of the santions do not concern me because Clinton's statement and letter have been exaggerated by our press... Nothing has actually happened", claims Bulatovic.

The decision of official Belgrade to impose, along with the external, internal sanctions on Montenegro, just because of the decision of the majority of its citizens to choose the road out of the blind alley, has brought our republic into an unenviable economic situation. Montenegro has been able to preserve social peace solely thanks to business deals in transit of cigarettes and registration of vehicles from Berkovici. And that is exactly what Milosevic wants to do: by blocking Montenegrin borders and keeping legal economy down, to force Djukanovic and the Montenegrin authorities to turn completely to illegal business deals.

"That politics has got involved in a dangerous game in which we will have a difficult time is confirmed by declarations of some of our prominent negotiators and leaders", assesses vice prime minister Milutin Lalic and continues, " First, the federal foreign minister launched the gem that not even the H of the Hague was mentioned in Dayton accords, and then the main negotiator on succession Kosta Mihailovic said about the offered document by Sir Arthur Watts that he had 'never seen anything worse', and finally, the president of Montenegro concluded that there was 'no country in the world' in which life on loans of the IMF and the World Bank!"

The government of the smaller federal unit is trying to overcome barriers put up by the federal sheriff. That is why a series of diplomatic representatives of the most powerful countries in the world visited Montenegro in the past few days, then arrived the first official from Sarajevo, president of the trade union Sulejman Hrle, who invited Djukanovic to pay a visit to Sarajevo soon. In the middle of last week, a government delegation visited Albania, and Djukanovic's flight for Rome has been announced for the beginning of next year. Along with all that, there have been numerous initiatives on the so-called lower levels in which lifting of the blockade of Montenegrin borders was demanded. Citizens of Ulcinj, Kotor, Tivat and Herceg-Novi are demanding opening of borders with Albania and Croatia.

The action of lifting the blockade of Montenegrin borders was supported by the Montenegrin Helsinki Committee which proposes that the government of Montenegro immediately opens negotiations on local border trade with its neighbours. This Helsinki Committee also demands abolishment of visas for foreigners visiting Montenegro, and initiation of activities concerning opening of Montenegrin consulates in Italy, Croatia and Albania.

Judging by previous interstate contacts, the initiative for opening Montenegrin borders will be supported by Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The official Croatia has not responded to the Montenegrin initiative to reconstruct the fallen bridges with its neighbours. Its state media did react, however: Croatian Television interviewed leading officials of the Dubrovnik-Neretva district. It was concluded in the program that opening of a border crossing towards Montenegro could also be useful for Croatia. Nevertheless, the condition for opening of the border was that Yugoslavia stop claiming Prevlaka and "payment of war reparations for the damage done in the south of Croatia by the Serbs and the Montenegrins in the 1991 aggression".

Therefore, it is clear that Djukanovic can direct opening of Montenegro towards Italy, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina. But, by means of his police, army and diplomacy, Milosevic is neutralizing all Montenegrin efforts to go out into the world. Besides, with the help of Momir Bulatovic he is keeping up tensions here at such a level that it additionally repulses foreign investors.

It is obvious: state enemy number one of Montenegro is Slobodan Milosevic. He is the one who is holding this republic in some kind of a silent occupation. On the other hand, from the former ally, Montenegro has become a hostage of official Belgrade. Pursuant the federal constitution, opening and closing of the Montenegrin borders is in the hands of the federal state. Control levers are held by Milosevic. The official Belgrade will continue erecting the already high wall built between Montenegro and the democratic world.

Seki RADONCIC

AIM Podgorica