Dismantling of the State

Regarding the fact that the Government of Montenegro is not participating in any reaching of economic programs by the Federal Government for the coming year, we asked Dragisa Pesic, SNP official and Federal Finance Minister, for a comment.  Here is what he stated, among other things, for VREME:
“Beside the regular invitation to participate in working sessions, organized by the Federal Government, in which elements of FRY economic policies for 1999 were being discussed, representatives of the Government of Montenegro did not wish to participate in any one of them.

I stress that full coordination in producing elements which make up the proposal of the Economic Policies for 1999 have been expressed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce, the National Bank of Yugoslavia and all other relevant political and economic subjects which could contribute and which continue to contribute to the successful creation of economic policy.

First of all, I fail to see the economic logic and justification in the Montenegrin Government’s not taking part in the conception of the proposal of the Economic Policies for 1999.  The adoption of the FRY Economic Policies for 1999, with all its aggregates is being expected at the end of this year.  I hope that failures will be realized and that the adoption of an independent economic policy of Montenegro, which will not recognize nor correspond with the economic policies of FRY, will be avoided.  Such an eventual policy will neither be in the interest of the citizens or the economy of Montenegro.”

We also asked Pesic what is the implication for the Federal Government on the decision by Montenegro not to contribute to the federal budget with funds collected from duties?
“Not contributing to federal funds from duties collected on the territory of Montenegro is first and foremost a braking of federal regulations which clearly hold for the entire territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as on the territory of Montenegro.  I think that there is little significance of this in an economic sense on the operations of the federal government, for the percentage of federal funds collected on the territory of Montenegro in the overall federal budget is relatively small — that is to say their non-contribution does not represent special difficulty in the operations of the federal state, that is to say institutions which are financed from the federal budget.  This certainly has certain political and legal importance which, I think, is tending toward the dismantling of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and, in a political and economic sense, gives Montenegro a measure of independence.  In other words, the separatist policies conducted by the present regime in Montenegro is clearly evident in practice.  I believe that this is of a passing character, that the majority of citizens of Montenegro, including myself, see complete perspective for Montenegro in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia within existing constitutional guidelines.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — as a civil and democratic country with its own economic, demographic and other potentials — has great perspectives in the future, which will, I hope, be soon realized.