Spite or Political Need

The size of typeset which appeared on a number of newspaper covers last Monday, announcing the possibility of FRY President Slobodan Milosevic's visit to Podgorica, perhaps indicates best in what country of miracles and wonders we live in.

President of FRY, for example, cannot visit the southern province of Serbia, which officially still belongs to FRY. On the other hand, Pristina is visited by a number of statesmen who, until recently, could not even find this city on a map (the exception is only the Albanian President Redzep Mejdani, who has recently 'privately', and of course without Belgrade's previous consent, travelled to Kosovo in order to visit a university at which he used to teach some twenty years ago).

It has been three years since the President of FRY (ever since he has been elected to that function) has not visited the second federal unit - Montenegro, because the local authorities do hot have him on the list of wanted visitors. The last time he was in Montenegro was in Spring 1996, when as President of Serbia he attended some military maneuvers. Ever since he was proclaimed the supreme commander, he tried to avoid that direction. However, they invited him in January 1998, when Milo Djukanovic was taking an oath as a new President, but Milosevic's chair then remained empty. That is why the mere announcement of Milosevic's possible voyage to Podgorica deserved so much attention in the press.

PRIVATE VISIT: The author of this pretty sensational news - that the President of FRY might visit the other federal unit of the state which he governs - is Predrag Bulatovic, president of the Socialist National Party (SNP) of Montenegro, the like-minded party of Milosevic's SPS (the Serbian Socialist Party). Bulatovic revealed to the press that certain members of SNP's delegation have recently directly invited President Milosevic to come to Montenegro, 'which he himself accepted'. The vice-president of SNP and, at the same time, candidate for the mayor of Podgorica a the coming local elections, also noticed that Milosevic's potential visit to Montenegro 'would cause problems' to the President of that federal unit, Milo Djukanovic. 'Djukanovic collaborates with the Hague Tribunal, so he would have to fulfill the promise given to that Tribunal, and that is to have arrested all suspects of war crimes, which also includes the President of FRY', said Bulatovic.

Prime Minister of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic is convinced that Milosevic would not pay a visit to Podgorica, after three years of such presiding over this federal state, because he is aware that he is not very famous there. In a statement given to a local TV station, Vujanovic confirmed that Montenegro agreed to co-operate with the Hague Tribunal - which, however, does not mean that everyone who is on the list of suspects will be arrested on the territory of this republic, especially not in the cases which might lead to conflicts and bloodshed. 'I hope that no one thinks seriously that we would arrest Milosevic, Ojdanic or Pavkovic, and hand them in to the Hague. That is not required of us', said the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

In Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS (the party in power), they argue that Milosevic's potential arrival to Montenegro would only be a political provocation on the part of SNP before the local elections in Podgorica and Herceg-Novi. It is stressed that the trip of FRY President to Montenegro can only be treated as a private visit to the citizens of that republic. Or, perhaps, as a visit to the leader of a political party. Provided that what Predrag Bulatovic said really had some authentic basis and was not exclusively in the function of encouraging one part of the electoral body, it would be interesting to imagine one Milosevic's visit to Montenegro. By train - it is, of course, impossible since the Belgrade-Bar line does not belong to the category of 'fast routes' and traverses many 'janissary areas'. It also goes through the municipality of Strpci, which might remind the President of an unpleasant and unfulfilled promise given many years ago to the families of those who disappeared after being taken off the train in that town: the promise that the authorised organs would even dig up the entire land in order to find the missing passengers, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who probably ended by being killed by a paramilitary formation. To travel by car to Montenegro - it is not very recommending because after Prijepolje one has to pass through one of the toughest European borders. There, however, remains the option of travelling by plane - crowned by landing at the military airport of Podgorica where a proper welcoming ceremony with a red carpet would definitely be held and commemorated for RTS (the Radio Television of Serbia). Along with the irregular military measures, the President would then most probably go to visit one of the local military barracks, the seat of SNP or perhaps even a national assembly. He would definitely not go to any of the Government buildings to consider the actual problems of the federation at the beginning of a new tourist season, or to listen to representatives of national minorities, or announce the construction of a new road Nis-Pristina-Podgorica, mentioned already in the documents of SPS Congress.

FOR AND AGAINST: In any case, the announcement that the President of FRY might visit Montenegro is a suitable opportunity for local betting places (in which people bet on whatever they can) to fill in the emptiness until the European Football Championship. There are more reasons 'against' than those 'for'. No one of Montenegro officials believes in that probability; the media in Belgrade are still silent about it; there is no much time left before the local elections in Podgorica and Herzeg-Novi; there is no much use of such a visit anyway - it has sense (both for him and for SNP) only if Podgorica organises a great national meeting, which would contain many of those who would only whistle, and Milosevic does not like to show himself in public unless he is protected by a large cordon of the like-minded... Not even the reasons 'for' are negligible: because Montenegro officials are suspicious about it; because the media in Belgrade are still silent about it; because the military surely has the red carpet to welcome the President; because there is no much use of that visit; because there are supposed to be federal elections next Autumn which are not wanted by those in power of Montenegro; because those from the opposition can travel to Budva whenever they want; because President of FRY is confronted with the actuality that he cannot even travel across a great deal of the country over which he reigns... In the end, because one of legitimate political categories is spite, and because so many things have been done out of spite in this country during the last ten years.