The Southern Barracks

Beautiful Valdanos bay near Ulcinj has been given to the Serb-Montenegrin federation's navy for a base but that hasn't satisfied the military's appetite: the army and navy want more attractive locations in Montenegro to build military facilities. We know the list includes locations at Lustici, Krnjice, the Skadarsko Lake national park and the Durmitor national park. At the same time, there is no mention of military facilities in Montenegro that the army is willing to hand over for civilian use. All that raises a question: does the federal state intend to turn the southernmost republic into a barracks?

It seems the authorities approve everything the army chiefs want and publicly don't know of any arrangement with the army. Last week the opposition tried to get a debate on Valdanos started in Montenegro's parliament but only got a short response from Miodrag Vukovic, a ruling party deputy, who repeated the stand of the Djukanovic government and a parliament committee that the military and the defence of the country is in the hands of the federal authorities.

Some people started counting military facilities in Montenegro and found out there are over 200. They found out that the facilities in Meljine count as just one location. There are 40 units on the coast, 20 in the Podgorica area, 10 in Niksic. The airports in Podgorica, Tivat, Niksic and Berane are used for military purposes. Montenegro's population accounts for 6% of the population of the FRY. Military experts assessed that its military facilities account for 25-30% of the federal total and are growing in number. It's hard to get exact figures on the amounts of weapons and ammunition in the republic brought in from other areas of former Yugoslavia but there are rumors that the republic is a virtual powder keg and the authorities even intervened to get concentrations of explosives moved out of densely populated areas.

People concerned about tourism were calmed by stories of a transformation of the army and sometimes republican President Momir Bulatovic assured the population that the navy and tourism are compatible since, allegedly, foreign guests like the sight of tanned sailors. Now, a retired navy officer told VREME, most of the fleet isn't suited to the Montenegrin coast since it was set up to deter attacks from the islands along former Yugoslavia's Adriatic coast and Montenegro's coast hasn't got islands and channels so the navy will have to get rid of most of the fleet especially those vessels that can't handle strong winds. There are vessels that are in really bad condition; on some their commanders even banned strolls along the deck. Some say the republic will be given those vessels in return for the Pinjes tourist resort but the retired officer said most of them are ready to be cut up for scrap.

Bulatovic's cabinet issued a statement on June 1, of last year saying the construction of a naval base in Valdanos is just an idea which demands a serious debate. That was a year after Miodrag Burzan, planning minister, turned down a demand for certain locations by Admiral Dojcilo Isakovic. In December of last year the republican government and parliament decided to change plans which experts said would take at least two years. They were not expected to violate planning regulations adopted after the 1979 earthquake with the help of prominent UN experts. Credibility was added by a statement from Miodrag Raicevic, public works department director, on June 2, 1995 that the government bought the Pinjas resort for about three million Dinars. He also mentioned that the coast is the republic's greatest treasure and had to be preserved. Just one week later, Bulatovic said Montenegro had given Valdanos and Pinjes with its 130 apartments to the navy.

The authorities are busy proving that they kept to the law but failed o convince anyone when it took Valdanos off parliament's agenda. The Liberal Alliance, National party and Social Democrat party are persistently proving that the government broke the law and constitution while the authorities are saying Valdanos has been army property since 1977 and that it was planned as a base because of its small beach which is no good for tourism. The opposition and experts claim the former Yugoslav army could only have been given use of the bay since it is one of the protected wooded areas in the Mediterranean and plans existed for 5,500 bed hotel. Liberal party leader Slavko Perovic said the Sveti Stefan beach is even smaller and asked why anyone would give up on an exclusive resort. Burzan told VREME that he couldn't give the navy Valdanos two years ago because of his ministerial oath. Burzan's ruling was never annulled and his successor wasn't expected to change the ruling.

The opposition concluded that Valdanos with its 30,000 olive trees is worth at least 350 million German Marks and that it's to big a gift to the navy. The authorities replied that the Liberals were using the decision to criticize the government because the party opposes the federal state and army just like the National party which wants an ethnically pure army. They said opposition to the base is an effort to undermine the state's defenses.

Whatever the pragmatic differences in stands on the military, the opposition is trying to get a debate started in parliament which could focus on the federal state and its army and their attitudes on Montenegro.

The prevailing public opinion is that the laws and constitution are not flexible enough for this kind of solution without repercussions for the authorities.