Continuing the Partnership

Milo Djukanovic reserved the political right to say in the future what he really thinks about Milosevic, because he officially kept to his statements made in the famous interview with VREME, that "Milosevic is a spent politician", and that "all continuation of Milosevic in the political life of Serbia and Yugoslavia will cause irreparable damage". Djukanovic repeated these statements several times, including on the evening of the final decision of the Head Committee of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DPS), when he was preparing a kind of political litmus test for the future President of the Serbian Republic of Yugoslavia (SRY). Djukanovic, Svetozar Marovic and Milica Pejanovic-Urisic — the Vice Presidents of DPS, and according to some opinion, the future "alpha and omegas" of Montenegro — decisively voted against the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) initiative for Milosevic to inherit Zoran Lilic’s position as President of SRY in the vote taken on Monday night. VREME sources close to the Montenegrin threesome claim that Milosevic, despite the unanimous vote of the Head Committee of the Montenegrin Socialists against all tampering with the federal constitution, has set about strengthening the federal seat of power with a view to changing the constitution — a path which he will not abandon. It is becoming more than clear that Milosevic could have been stopped at the last meeting of the Head Committee of DPS. Hence it is with some surprise that the votes of some members of the Head Committee were received, members who are proven supporters of the Djukanovic-Marovic option. The hypothesis that Djukanovic and Marovic asked several of their supporters to vote against their convictions so that Milosevic would get at least some support — all be it slim, as it is described — is being considered.

Because of all that and especially when it was learned who voted for whom, following the decision of the Head Committee, the town of Podgorica began teeming with speculations regarding which "deal" is at stake, and what the real objective of this latest maneuver is. All the more, since, according to general opinion, the decision of DPS does not reflect the mood among Montenegrins, nor among the members of DPS itself.

In any case, the public is being fed various explanations from various sources, from the explanation that the overriding concern is for maintaining a partnership with the SPS in order to avoid a possible and very dangerous destabilization of the federation, all the way to the explanation that this is all the result of a bargain struck up with the Serbian opposition which is being done a huge favor by the transferal of Milosevic to a federal post before the elections, which are supposed to decide the future of Serbia.

Djukanovic’s team is learning from freshly made mistakes in the period of the dissolution of former SFRY, and is deciding to follow a different path, concludes the VREME source. Concretely speaking, Djukanovic states that Montenegro could have obstructed Milosevic’s election, just as Milosevic once obstructed Stjepan Mesic, with the result being the beginning of the end of SFRY. By offering even slim support to Milosevic, the repetition of an old mistake is being avoided. However, the very act of offering support, on the other hand, encourages Milosevic, who will almost certainly proceed with the amendment of the Constitution, which could be the last line of defense for Montenegro, as well as the end for Milosevic, states the VREME source.

There are also opinions that in a possible crisis situation and ensuing chaos Milosevic would fair best, and that that would endanger the political elite around Djukanovic. According to such opinion, by denying its support the DPS coalition partnership with SPS would be lost in vain, because Milosevic’s election to the federal parliament would allegedly be supported by the radicals, and several smaller parties. Perhaps it is also not far from the truth that the "fixed majority" in favor of Milosevic was realized at the request of the leaders of the Serbian opposition, especially Djindjic, who met with Djukanovic and allegedly lobbied for the removal of Milosevic from Serbia, which would create real chances for the triumph of the democratic opposition in the Serbian elections, and for the ultimate democratization of Serbia.