Asking for Guarantees from the President of SRY

The question remains whether the crisis in the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Montenegro which erupted over the election of federal president shall result in a party rift, a victory of one of the conflicted sides, or in a third solution. Additional dramatic twists are also possible at the extraordinary DPS convention, which should be held towards the end of the summer, following a demand made by seven municipal DPS boards. It is evident that the conflicting sides are already counting on the political public vote by the fact that an open session of the main DPS board has been scheduled for Friday July 11, which is to be open to the public for the first time. At that session, the battle shall continue over one of the most vital issues for the future of FR Yugoslavia - will the forces which hold monopoly of power and government rule take the reform-oriented or conservative direction. Momir Bulatovic made use of the July holidays to, according to the Montena-faks news agency, express his loyalty to Milosevic (to the utter confusion of those present, he started shouting "Slobo - Slobo"). On the other hand Djukanovic, who has managed to defend his position with relatively minor compromises, reconstructed the government last week and took the political initiative. On Tuesday, July 8 he assessed that Montenegro: "must break away from the position of subservience towards its elder brother", that "Montenegro can remain within Yugoslavia only as an equal entity" and that "those in Belgrade shall break their teeth if they try to oust this government".

In the background the continual battle goes on, as confirmed by the details supplied by Milica Djurisic-Pejanovic for VREME, the DPS vice president who claims that by the very act of appointing Milosevic as the candidate for the FRY president, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) shall not give up their demands to change the constitution. As during previous crisis, the political imperative for reforms and for a modernization of society is replaced with "state quarrels" in which states are lost, yet power retained.

VREME: The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is awaiting another important meeting of its Head Committee. How do you view all this activity in the Head Committee?

MILICA PEJANOVIC-DJURISIC: Through good or bad luck, in the past three to four months the Head Committee had to make several key decisions, which is a good thing in my opinion because there are at least a hundred responsible, wise people in the Committee, giving every decision its particular weight. However, I regret the fact that we did not put the Head Committee into operation more often in the last three, four years. It's meetings are only held every three months in accordance with the statutes. The mechanisms of government in the DPS were such that very important decisions were always made by a narrow, closed circle of people, which is why we were often obliged to give apologies to the members of the Head Committee.

How "prepared" is the Committee for its stepped up activities?

Despite not being "in shape", I think that the Committee answered well to it's call of duty. It proved itself as a forum in which arguments carry weight, given that in the making of actual decisions there is no preexisting majority or minority. Faced with arguments, the members of the Head Committee are conscious of their responsibility when giving opinions.

Why then is the Committee denied the responsibility of resolving the crisis in the Party and in the Government?

Unfortunately, after putting the Head Committee into operation to the maximum, certain people at the very top of DPS are now having a change of heart, and are trying to marginalize this forum. I think this is because they are unable to accept the fact that members do not vote on the basis of the weight carried by their authority, but on the basis of the weigh carried by arguments. Certain individuals cannot accept that at this moment their arguments do not carry "enough weight" with the Head Committee, and are making various maneuvers in order to marginalize this forum. Without any reason, in the past two weeks there were two marathon sessions in which the workings of the Head Committee were systematically obstructed with a view to demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the Committee in resolving crises. I think that the reason behind this is the desire to achieve results outside the statutory rules and the democratic process, even though it is clear that not even the Congress can be expected to make any decisions beside those arrived at through the democratic process and the respecting of statutes.

What is behind those obstructions of the Party’s forums?

I think the answer lies precisely in the inability of some to accept that neither a majority, nor a minority presently rules, that rather things depend on arguments offered and on an approach to solving problems. Everyone is different — those people whose profession is not politics but rather some other specialized profession will not behave in the same way as those who chose politics as their only profession. The first group is more flexible and ready for every discussion, even if it means giving in. Power is a terrible disease which causes those who have it to behave in a way that is not always rational, because the sense that they do not have a majority, and that they might be in a minority, and might lose, causes panic.

Are you speaking specifically about President Momir Bulatovic?

President Bulatovic chairs the meetings of the Head Committee, and I must say that he used every meeting very successfully in obstructing the proceedings and the actual decision making.

The Head Committee had on its agenda the initiative for urgently calling a meeting of the Congress, along with initiatives to consider the actual authorities of President Bulatovic...

Those demands were answered by decisions which allow for a gradual, peaceful resolution to the crisis, because the crisis itself appeared gradually. The party has not been officially notified of the demands for holding a congress, which is why I cannot understand the nervousness of the seven presidents of the Head Committee of DPS, nor the insistence on holding the congress as soon as possible, if in fact those initiatives are positive and are made in accordance with the rules set out in the statute. I have the impression that by creating an irregular situation, the Head Committee is again being forcibly marginalized — that is to say, the role of the Head Committee in defining the objectives of the Congress, and defining the criteria for the election of representatives of community organizations is being avoided - and that is the result of the desire for regaining at all cost a lost majority in Party forums.

The demands for holding a congress are explained by the existence of conceptual differences which must be decided in the congress?

The supposed differences regarding relations with Yugoslavia are being forcibly presented as conceptual differences. There were many discussions which demonstrated that the Election Program of DPS is being respected, in which the relation to Yugoslavia is clearly defined. At the beginning, there was a strong insistence on accusations that there is an avoidance of putting into effect that significant program, but it turned out that SRY represents a long standing orientation of the whole of DPS, and that only specific differences exist regarding the position of Montenegro in a state federation. In that regard, it is by no means clear who is right, and who is interpreting correctly the program policy of DPS. Personally, I believe that the basic position of our Party is for seeking equality for Montenegro in an open, democratic and reformed SRY.

Why did you, and Mr. Marovic and Mr. Djukanovic vote against the election of Slobodan Milosevic as President of SRY?

To those who follow political events in Montenegro, this is evident. We pointed out that the President of SRY, while he does not have great authority, represents the state and must be an individual who will significantly contribute to the realization of state objectives in the coming years. We insist on needed reforms dealing not only with the economy, but with the society, with further democratization, with the creation of conditions for realizing human rights and freedoms, and finally, and above all, with quicker reintegration into the international community. According to us, the candidate for President of SRY must offer guarantees that he will contribute to the realization of all these objectives. This was the reason why we asked for a program on the basis of which we could decide. However, it emerged that not only members of SPS, but also some members of the forum of DPS considered such a relation ridiculous, which was a point we could not accept.

There is information that a consensus could be easily reached in DPS on the question that the Federal Constitution must not be tampered with, while there is also information that SPS is not giving up on its initiative to change the Constitution?

We were in a position to hear from an SPS delegation in Podgorica that they will continue to stick to their initiative on changing the Federal Constitution. Of course, we are all politically literate enough to know how and in what way they could attempt to realize that initiative. In such a case DPS will answer with all the mechanisms at our disposal, starting with activating the Federal Parliament, given that there is an absolute consensus in Montenegro regarding the protection of the interests of the Republic.

Has the question of support for Milosevic been decided once and for all in DPS?

I think there won't be many problems on this point, of course barring any conflicts in DPS which would marginalize the Head Committee.

There has been for some time now a conviction that authority in this state is with Milosevic, regardless of the position he holds or the authority accorded to him. Could he endanger the rights guaranteed to Montenegro by the Constitution?

It is my hope that no single individual, regardless of who we are talking about — be it President Milosevic, or anyone else — would try to formalize his authority outside constitutional mechanisms. In this regard Montenegro will strongly insist on respect for those constitutional decrees which represent our interests.

If rules were observed, Milosevic could not hold talks on behalf of SRY in the international scene, even though he did that as President of Serbia?

That is correct, just as it is correct that the international community chose him as a negotiator. That was not an inside decision.

It seems that at the present, DPS is precisely the force which is initiating irrational conflicts and divisions within Montenegro?

For the past seven years, we tried to resolve all conflicts in Montenegro, the regional ones as much as political ones, regardless of the pluralistic mood. By initiating conflicts within DPS, it happened that nearly forgotten conflicts in Montenegro were revived with divisions into "white" and "green", into north and south, etc. Perhaps that was the intention of those who initiated this process, which for me is unconscionable.