BELGRADE, April 23 (Hina) - The outcome of Sunday's early election in Montenegro, won in a neck-to-neck competition by the coalition "The Victory Belongs to Montenegro", led by Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic, caused numerous
reactions in Belgrade. Yugoslav-Serbian officials, members of the ruling DOS coalition and opposition parties on Monday gloated over the "narrow result" of the competition of two coalitions with diametrically opposed views and programmes of union between Serbia and Montenegro. The election result, according to which Djukanovic's coalition won 35 parliamentary seats and the coalition of "Belgrade minions" - "Together For Yugoslavia", led by Socialist People's Party president Predrag Bulatovic, which won 33 seats, was interpreted in Belgrade as a "defeat of secession advocates." Belgrade officials believe that now the election result is known "Montenegro's independence is out of th
BELGRADE, April 23 (Hina) - The outcome of Sunday's early election
in Montenegro, won in a neck-to-neck competition by the coalition
"The Victory Belongs to Montenegro", led by Montenegro's President
Milo Djukanovic, caused numerous reactions in Belgrade.
Yugoslav-Serbian officials, members of the ruling DOS coalition
and opposition parties on Monday gloated over the "narrow result"
of the competition of two coalitions with diametrically opposed
views and programmes of union between Serbia and Montenegro.
The election result, according to which Djukanovic's coalition won
35 parliamentary seats and the coalition of "Belgrade minions" -
"Together For Yugoslavia", led by Socialist People's Party
president Predrag Bulatovic, which won 33 seats, was interpreted in
Belgrade as a "defeat of secession advocates."
Belgrade officials believe that now the election result is known
"Montenegro's independence is out of the question" and a project of
the ruling DOS coalition on a single sovereign state - the
internationally recognised Yugoslavia - is being brought back to
life again.
In an article in Podgorica's "Pobjeda" paper, Montenegro's Foreign
Minister Branko Lukovac announces preparations for a referendum on
the legal status of the republic and the "opening of a dialogue"
with Serbia, whereas his federal counterpart Goran Svilanovic does
not mention a possible referendum but only the start of dialogue
between the two sides.
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica believes Montenegrin
citizens have shown "that they are aware of the need to preserve the
integrity of the joint state."
The election result shows "extreme division" and points to the need
for political agreement, primarily "among Montenegro's parties and
public."
Kostunica believes the election marks the beginning of "a process
of drawing closer to solutions which are rational and useful for
all" and is confident this will facilitate "efforts aimed at the
solution of the Kosovo problem and economic development."
(hina) sb rml