Montenegrin Political Scene: View of Kosovo

Far from Myth

AIM Podgorica, 12 March, 1998

Had Belgrade prosecutor Miodrag Tmusic been closer to Montenegro, there would naver have been interrogations he has been summoning editors-in-chief of private Serbian media to.

The language of the official Belgrade according to which, instead of "people" and the "Albanians" the correct word to be used in the media is "terrorists", is spoken on the Montenegrin political scene only by a few parties which are kept alive only thanks to occasional influsions from the court in Dedinje (Milosevic's residence). This refers primarily to the party of Momir Bulatovic, part of the former Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which will in the end of March get a new name - the Socialist National Party - trying to make the close link with the Socialist Party of Serbia clear to its supporters, with a clear intention to include followers of Bozidar Bojovic, a part of former members and sympathizers of the national Party.

"The way to resolution of accumulated problems in Kosovo and Metohija is dialogue, but only after a stop is put to terrorist activities of the Albanian separatists and after terrorism is abondened as a means of political activity", stresses the vice-president of this party Predrag Bulatovic. "The stand of the Contact Group is unacceptable according to which terrorist activities of Albanian extremists are put on the same level as resolute reaction of state administration of Serbia", he believes, sharply opposing internationalization of the issue of Kosovo.

The term "terrorist" unsparingly used by this group in denoting the latest conflicts in Kosovo is used by the parties from the so-called reformist block which are doing their best to stamp it on the followers of Momir Bulatovic, especially after the demonstrations in Podgorica which he resorted to in mid January, refusing to hand over power to the newly elected head of the state Milo Djukanovic.

Political stands of the Montenegrin parties and politicians on Kosovo unfailingly reflect their attitude towards the regime in Belgrade, or rather towards the supreme political leader Slobodan Milosevic. This is evident from the presidential statement on Kosovo of Milo Djukanovic given yesterday. By speaking about the neglected problem of Kosovo, the tragic experience of Krajina and "the exodus of the proud but misled people", and by contradicting the thesis that the developments in Kosovo were solely the internal problem, Djukanovic directly aimed at Milosevic as the greatest culprit for everything that had happened so far.

His demand that the dialogue with Albanian political leaders be initiated by the president of Serbia and that a mediating mission of the OSCE come to Kosovo, shows clearly the wish to throw Milosevic out of the game. For the time being, of course, this can be nothing but a wish, because it is hard to believe that Milosevic who was launched in his political orbit from Kosovo and has been maintained there among other thanks to Kosovo, would give up on further using this problem to remain in power. To what extent it can still be a powerful argument of his in the attempt to install in Podgorica political forces loyal to him as he did nine years ago, will become clear in the forthcoming developments on the eve of May elections.

It is also a question to what extent the drama of Kosovo would by then be deepened. If it continues, as the leader of the National Party Novak Kilibarda warns it might, Montenegro could be flooded by refugees which it will not be able to receive because it surpasses its social capabilities. This burden is already felt because more than four thousand people, mostly Albanians and Muslims, and mostly women, children and the elderly, have already fled from Kosovo to Montenegro.

The National Party is announcing for the next session of the Montenegrin parliament a speacial resolution on Kosovo demanding, among other, that damage done by the Serbian regime with its moves be evaluated. Kilibarda demands a more active attitude of Montenegro in resolving the problem of Kosovo, believing that it has "all moral and political credibility to arbitrate in talks of representatives of Serbian authorities and Kosovo Albanians". For the domestic version of Felipe Gonsales, he proposes Djukanovic himself, teasing his DPS that rejection of such a resolution would mean that they have not yet "divorced" Slobodan Milosevic.

Stands of the DPS on Kosovo are assessed by the Liberal League of Montenegro also as insufficiently articulated in the sense of "it is good to have friends both in heaven and hell" and as a product of the delusion that Milosevic could transform into a humanist and democrat.

"The latest developments in Kosovo confirm that Milosevic will not stop with destruction until flames of war do not start licking the walls of his bunker in Dedinje, where, all things considered, the last act of the Yugoslav drama will take place. The symbolism of it will be complete. A historical suicide will mark the end of the suicidal policy which has rooted Montenegro and Serbia to the very bottom. However, it will be too late to mend or change anything, which the Montenegrin authorities cannot or will not see", assesses the spokesman of the Liberal League of Montenegro Miroslav Vickovic.

The Social Democratic Party of Montenegro assesses that Milosevic's repression in Kosovo has yielded armed resistance and that it could have been anticipated. These developments, as the vice-president of the SDP Dragisa Burzan says, will escalate into a real war if dialogue is not established between the Serbian authorities and the true representatives of ethnic Albanians with no fixed in advance demands of both parties. He thinks that the real dilemma Milosevic is faced with is - either power or reasonable policy, and he anticipates a possible decision of the current head of FRY:

"Milosevic has never understood real politics, but he has especially never recognized global processes".

Parties of the Montenegrin block joined the Party of Democratic Action, the Democratic Union of the Albanians and the Democratic League of the Albanians in Montenegro in organization of the gatherings in Ulcinj and Plav and in condemnation of the police action in Kosovo. Inhabitants of Rozaje have opened their homes to the refugees again, and the SDA says that they are doing it in memory of the tragic exodus of their compatriots from Bosnia & Herzegovina. The SDA also warns that by terror and violence the problem of Kosovo cannot be resolved, but only by agreement between Belgrade and representatives of Kosovo Albanians.

The difficult position of their compatriots in Kosovo is explained by the Democratic Union of the Albanians as a product of "wrong hegemonistic and chauvinist greater-Serbian politics".

"Serious escalation of violence in Kosovo, its geo-strategic position in the Balkans and the fact that Kosovo was a constituent element of the former Yugoslav federation does not permit the issue of Kosovo to be treated as an internal issue of Serbia", it is believed in the DUA.

Apart from political parties, the media in Montenegro are also contributing to quite a moderate and rational observation of Kosovo developments. Contrary to Belgrade state media, Montenegrin Radio-Television and daily Pobjeda do not use the racist vocabulary about Kosovo Albanians, treating this problem almost in the identical manner as the independent media in Podgorica or Belgrade.

Slavoljub Scekic

AIM Podgorica