MONTENEGRO PM: FEDERATION SOURCE OF SERBIA-MONTENEGRO CONFLICTS

PODGORICA, July 4 (Hina) - Montenegro's prime minister said on Wednesday the Yugoslav federal state was the source of conflicts between the two republics, Serbia and Montenegro. He announced an impending meeting with Serb representatives to address the organisation of the joint state. "The federal state does not guarantee quality and stable relations between Serbia and Montenegro. On the contrary, it has been and remains the source of our conflicts, as seen in recent years," PM Filip Vujanovic told a Montenegrin television station. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is "impossible and unjust due to the manifold discrepancy between the two (republics)." Montenegro views decisions made on the federal level as hegemony and Serbia those made in Montenegro as blackmail, said Vujanovic. Speaking of the impending meeting with Serbia's leaders, he said Montenegro was willing to fight for an alliance of independent and internationally recognised states. "We have to agree on the scope of the work of the state alliance... on the competence of the bodies that will perform joint tasks. Once we have reduced or eliminated all discrepancies, we would talk about sovereignty... of the alliance, or the sovereignty of the states in the alliance," Vujanovic explained. He said these issues should be tackled as soon as possible, and estimated talks would not take long. "If we fail to reach an agreement, we have to state so, while Serbia and Montenegro have to resume along their state paths," the Montenegrin PM concluded. (hina) ha