PODGORICA, Montenegro -- Even as he continues to drive ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is attempting to gain control of the independent and West-leaning Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
Such a move could lead to a dramatic and dangerous escalation of the current crisis.
Among his most ominous moves was the replacement of the commander of the Montenegrin-based Second Yugoslav Army. Its new commander, Montenegrin-born Milorad Obradovic, has used every opportunity to prove himself a loyal supporter of Milosevic and a true hard liner. Before his appointment, the Yugoslav Army had worked closely with Montenegrin officials. Now, however, observers worry that the military is attempting to undermine the local government.
"The Second Army Command is actively attempting to destabilize the Montenegrin government by directly questioning the powers of the civilian authorities," warns Montenegro's Minister of Justice Dragan Soc.
Belgrade has already asked that the Montenegrin government turn over control of the local police to the Army. Reports of ethnic cleansing operations along the Serbia-Montenegro border have also heightened tensions here. There are new reports of attacks by Serbian paramilitary forces in the Rozaje region, an area with a large Muslim population. The attack in this area, which had ready seen a large influx of refugees from Kosovo, reportedly left six dead.
Recently, the Army has taken to sending heavily armed military police into the streets to round up conscripts. There have been reports of these military policemen breaking into apartments and carting off prospective recruits. So far , the military has "drafted" nearly 24,000 reserve soldiers. Local factory managers are now worried that their work force is being depleted. Meanwhile, the Army's military court is indicting those Montenegrins who thus far have been able to elude the MPs.
Soc, who himself has refused to serve in the Army after having been called up three times, said the campaign is ridiculous. "The army has no food or stock to care for these people," he said. "They don't need soldiers. They are just demonstrating their power."
The military call up has been accompanied by a crackdown on both foreign and local journalists. "The Army is targeting foreign journalists to discourage them from staying in Montenegro, to make them feel unsafe, and give them the impression that civilian authorities are unable to protect them," said Soc. He said that the military had recently detained and interrogated Spanish, British and German television crews who had been guaranteed access by the Ministry of Information.
Meanwhile, high-ranking Army officials recently paid a visit to the offices of the News, an independent daily newspaper. Its editor, Ljubisa Mitrovic, was given a warning that the newspaper's reporting on NATO and "bloodsucker" world leaders was "impermissible" and "will no longer be tolerated."
Obradovic had already "requested" Montenegrin state-run television to begin rebroadcasting Serbian television programs. TV Montenegro refused but did agree to co-produce with Serbian TV a series of special 15-minute programs. The Army has also ordered all Montenegrin media to stop rebroadcasting or reprinting foreign news reports.
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has tried to reassure the public that he is still in charge. "We shall not allow Milosevic to take power in Montenegro by force," he said recently in an interview with an Italian newspaper. He warned those that might be plotting a possible coup that "we have enough strength to persuade you of your mistakes. The police and the democratic citizens' movement will defend the Montenegrin state and democracy."
Zeljko Ivanovic is a founder and a director of the only independent weekly in Montenegro, Vijesti.