Montenegro Under Strain to Submit to Army

Supporters of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic upped the pressure on Montenegro’s reformist government Thursday with a mass rally demanding that the Yugoslav republic’s police submit to army control.

The issue is critical for the survival of the pro-Western administration of democratically elected Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who has tried to keep Montenegro as uninvolved as possible in the fight between NATO and Milosevic. Montenegro and the dominant Serbia make up what remains of the Yugoslav federation.

The rally by about 12,000 people in the Montenegrin capital’s central square took place amid the heaviest security seen here since the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia began March 24. About 40 police officers in helmets and bulletproof vests, carrying semiautomatic rifles, stood guard in front of the nearby parliament and presidential buildings, and dozens more heavily armed police watched over the rally, which ended without violence.

Milosevic has been trying for several weeks to assert control over the Montenegrin government on the grounds that a “state of war” declared by Belgrade gives the Yugoslav army, which he heads as commander in chief, power over civilian authorities throughout the country.

The Montenegrin government has not recognized the legitimacy of federal Yugoslav authorities since last year and has rejected the federal government’s declaration of a state of war. Djukanovic and other Montenegrin officials have said the Montenegrin Interior Ministry police force--which is well-trained, heavily armed and believed to be loyal to the Montenegrin government--would resist any attempt by the Yugoslav army and Milosevic backers to launch a coup here.

“We don’t need these police to keep someone’s position safe, and we don’t need them trained to confront the Yugoslav army,” Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic, who also heads the pro-Milosevic Socialist Party of Serbia, declared at Thursday’s rally.

“The decision was made [by Belgrade] that the Interior Ministry police must be under the jurisdiction of the Yugoslav army, and that will be accomplished,” Bulatovic said. “The Interior Ministry police must listen to the army or there will not be any Interior Ministry police. This will be introduced soon.”

Montenegrin Interior Minister Vukasin Maras has formally rejected a demand by Gen. Milorad Obradovic, commander of the Montenegro-based Yugoslav 2nd Army, that the Montenegrin police submit to army control, Djukanovic’s press office said Thursday.

At the rally, speaker after speaker hammered away at the theme that Djukanovic’s government is betraying the country and that the Montenegrin police must be turned over to army control.

“This is the last moment for the Montenegrin government to come to its senses,” warned Srdja Bozovic, a vice president of the Socialist party. “They should take part in defense of our country and start following the laws of this country.”

Speakers also played on Yugoslavs’ sense of grievance.

“A vicious alliance is destroying our cities, factories, bridges, hospitals and schools, killing innocent civilians and refugees,” said Zoran Zizic, another Socialist party vice president. “Never in the history of mankind did such a powerful alliance hit such a small country as Yugoslavia. There was never a bigger aggressor or a smaller and more dignified victim.”

Meanwhile, growing numbers of ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo who have fled to Montenegro have begun moving on to the greater security of Albania, some of them fearful that Djukanovic may lose power and the Yugoslav army will act against them.

On Thursday, more than 1,500 ethnic Albanians crossed from Montenegro into Albania, according to reports from the Albanian side of the border. A total of 9,000 refugees, including some ethnic Albanians whose homes are in Montenegro, are reported to have crossed from Montenegro into Albania since Monday.

Some protesters at Thursday’s rally, however, said they neither wanted nor expected violence to erupt any time in the coming weeks between those Montenegrins who back Milosevic and those who oppose him.

“We may think differently, but we’re all the same people,” said Mileva Tasovska, 56, who came to the rally with her daughter and grandson to protest NATO bombing. “We have the same flesh and blood.”