Hostages To The Stubborn Policy

The session of the Montenegrin Parliament, which had been scheduled before the latest vote on the Security Council Resolution on tightening the sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, had only one item on the agenda: the sanctions imposed by the international community. The Montenegrin authorities have already lost their voice from crying outloud that the survival under sanctions is not possible. On his recent European tour the Montenegrin President, Momir Bulatovic, pleaded that the so-called "Iraqi model" be applied on Montenegro; that is, that exports of certain goods to Montenegro be approved so that it could obtain hard currency for the purchase of foodstuffs, necessary for bare survival. It is not known what was told to Bulatovic on the occasion, but the media registered his optimism and assurances that there would be peace in Bosnia, and the lifting of sanctions against the Federal Yugoslavia. That is what his closest associates reiterated as well, stressing their stand on the acceptability of the Vance-Owen plan concerning the maps. However, the plan was not to the liking of their former allies, so that Montenegro has found itself between a hammer and an anvil.

The current sanctions have devastated Montenegro. The naval merchant fleet, which used to comprise one fourth of the entire fleet of former Yugoslavia is held captive in the ports worldwide. Those in charge are merciless and should the sanctions last it may well happen that the Montenegrin ships change their owners, so that the whole fleet is reduced to several wooden boats on the Skadar Lake. The tourism is ruined. It is already certain that the customers from Serbia will not come to the coast, so some agreements are being canceled due to a rapid increase in the costs of transport. The foreign tourists cannot be counted on, especially following a decision of the Federal Government (of which Montenegro learned from the newspapers) on introducing visas for the citizens of those countries, who used to be the most frequent visitors of the Montenegrin Riviera. The Federal Government decision did not omit to encompass Norway either, which had a long term agreement with the "Simo Milosevic" Sanatorium in Igalo. This helped the deterioration of relations between Podgorica and Belgrade to such an extent that the Montenegrin Foreign Minister, Miodrag Lekic, stated that it is an act which leads to self-isolation.

Montenegro no longer has customers to whom it could sell aluminum and steel, so that their production is slowly dying down, accompanied by big delays in payments for goods delivered to the rolling mills in Serbia.

Foreign exchange used to comprise 76 per cent of Montenegro's trade. Therefore, it is very difficult for Montenegro to endure the sanctions, but what makes the situation even more difficult is a decision by the Serbian Government on censoring the sales of food industry products to Montenegro. Namely, this represents a sort of the embargo on exports of 142 food products from Serbia to Montenegro. These goods cannot be delivered without a special decision and signature of the Serbian Prime Minister, Nikola Sainovic. Montenegro, therefore, retaliates by refusing to deliver oil for the spring sowing.

The refugees pose a growing problem, since the biggest number of refugees percentage-wise (compared to the number of citizens) have sought shelter in Montenegro. The international aid to refugees and relief supplies arriving from Italy by the "Saint Stefan" ferry boat are insufficient. Pensions are extremely low, while the salaries of the three quarters of those employed can hardly suffice for the household bills. Moreover, the Montenegrin companies and citizens are doing their best to help the population of Serbian nationality in the bordering areas with Herzegovina and Bosnia, despite the fact that the relations with the authorities in the Serb Republic in Bosnia have cooled down.

The authorities of the Serb Republic in Bosnia who keep encouraging the extremist organizations with the Serb prefix in Montenegro, which openly threaten the Montenegrin authorities. It is insisted that Montenegro agrees to the holding of the Pan-Serb Parliament, while the Foreign Minister of the Serb Republic in Bosnia did not shun open threats to the Montenegrin authorities. In the end, Momcilo Krajisnik, the Speaker of the Bosnian Serb Parliament, called on the Montenegrins to remain devoted to the "Serbian cause and respond to the founding of the union of the Serb states." What if Montenegro decides to pursue its own path?

It is crystal clear now that Montenegro will have to choose between a total economic collapse, hunger and international military intervention, on one hand, and an open conflict with Serbia, on the other, unless some solution is worked out. No one in Montenegro, not even the staunchest advocates of the separate, that is, sovereign and independent Montenegro, want such a conflict. Svetozar Marovic, Miodrag Lekic and other prominent ruling party officials are appealing to reason.

The Socialist Party in Montenegro demands understanding form Belgrade, stressing that Montenegro is a "hostage to the stubborn policy," and that the Montenegrin Parliament should "adopt the conclusions which would protect the minimum Montenegrin interests, and not the Serbian interests, whose defence has led us to this critical situation."

The belief that there is no readiness for compromise prevails.