Who Gets Prevlaka

Zvonimir Markovic, the head of the Bureau of the Republic of Croatia in Belgrade, had to cut short his visit to Montenegro. It has been unofficially learnt, that Markovic suddenly returned to Belgrade at the summons of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic who demanded an urgent meeting with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman after the maps of the Contact Group had been presented to the warring factions.

During his visit to Montenegro, after the meeting with Milo Djukanovic, the Montenegrin Prime Minister, and Miodrag Lekic, the Montenegrin Foreign Minister, Markovic commended the efforts of ``the young trio,'' Momir Bulatovic, the Montenegrin President,DjukanovicLekic, aimed at establishing friendly relations with neighbouring Italy, Albania and Croatia.

VREME has learned from reliable sources that during the talks with the Montenegrin leadership Zvonimir Markovic specified the conditions under which Prevlaka Penninsula (the disputed area on the border between Croatia and Montenegro that came under U.N. control in spring 1992) would go to Montenegro, i.e. Yugoslavia. The Montenegrin side, i.e. Yugoslav side would have to accept the condition that military bases will not be built anywhere in the area from the border with Croatia to Budva and it would also have to arrange the withdrawal of the Herzegovinian artillery from the heights above Dubrovnik.

The current border crossing Debeli Brijeg should continue to be used for humanitarian purposes, and the exchange of families and their properties between the two states should be simplified. It was also mentioned that the ferry line between Herzeg Novi and Dubrovnik could be reestablished soon.