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Obviously, this is not the case for everyone... [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > [This is a sad day indeed...] > > Serbia and Montenegro agree death of Yugoslavia > By Will Hardie > > BELGRADE, March 14 (Reuters) - Montenegro shelved its independence plans > on > Thursday to form a new union with Serbia, consigning Yugoslavia to > history in > a deal the West hopes will avoid more violent redrawing of Balkan > borders. > > "We have taken an important step forward for the stability of the region > and > of Europe," European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after > > signing a draft constitutional framework with leaders of the two > republics. > > Under heavy EU pressure, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic agreed to > a > three-year moratorium on a breakaway referendum for his small coastal > republic and committed to reshape Yugoslavia as a union called "Serbia > and > Montenegro." > > Yugoslavia, whose painful breakup spawned four of Europe's bloodiest > conflicts since World War Two, would finally cease to exist but without > disintegrating into more unstable parts. > > But it will only happen if Djukanovic can overcome heavy opposition from > > allies and voters who want full independence. > > After a decade of Balkan wars, the West fears Montenegrin independence > would > signal to ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Macedonia and to Serbs in > Bosnia > that borders are negotiable, tempting them to seek separation by violent > or > other means. > > Even Thursday's compromise deal raised hopes of independence for Kosovo > among > some Albanian politicians. Kosovo, now administered by the United > Nations, > remains part of the union. > > "This agreement will accelerate the process of independence for Kosovo, > because from today Yugoslavia no longer exists," said Ruxhdi Sefa, a > senior > official from the province's third largest party the Alliance for the > Future > of Kosovo. > > Serbia and Montenegro, the only two of Yugoslavia's six republics not to > > break away since the old federation started to unravel along ethnic > lines in > 1991, will now draft a new constitution, along with federal leaders. > > Parliaments will need to agree the document, which will replace the > current > Federal institutions with a new "Union" parliament, president, cabinet > and > army. > > HARD SELL FOR MONTENEGRO > > Djukanovic will find it hard to sell the deal to key pro-independence > allies > at home and many analysts say Serbia and Montenegro have diverged so far > that > it is questionable how long their new union can last. > > The two agreed broadly to harmonise their economies but the document > contained no detailed solutions to how to realign their highly different > > financial systems. Djukanovic said Montenegro would not backtrack on de > facto > freedoms it already enjoyed. > > "I think the political public in Montenegro has every reason to be > satisfied > with what we have achieved with this agreement, most importantly all > results > of economic reforms that Montenegro has achieved over the past year have > been > preserved," he said. > > Montenegro stopped using the Yugoslav Dinar currency in 1999, adopting > instead the German mark and its successor, the euro. It was not clear > how > this, or the two republics' distinct markets and parallel customs > systems, > would be reconciled. > > Djukanovic is eager not to endanger aid and rapprochement with the West > but > is under pressure from pro-independence Liberals on whose support his > minority government depends. > > Liberal Alliance leader Miodrag Zivkovic said he was shocked and called > the > deal a betrayal. Djukanovic's Social Democratic Party (SDP) allies also > branded it a "great step back." > > "Montenegrin citizens and voters are cheated, because this decision > represents something which is unacceptable from a political, moral and > patriotic stand," SDP spokesman Novak Adzic said. "Montenegro will have > less > independence." > > The pro-Yugoslav opposition Socialist People's Party said Djukanovic's > independence project had now completely failed. > > But Djukanovic sought to soothe worries, assuring Montenegro's 615,000 > people > they could reconsider relations with Serbia, which has a population of > 10 > million, in the future. > > "The agreement does not jeopardise the basic right of every people to > re-examine after a certain period their stand on the future of their > state," > Djukanovic told reporters. > > ALLURE OF EUROPE > > All sides were motivated by ambitions shared across the Balkans to forge > > closer ties with the affluent European Union, which said they had taken > a > step in the right direction. > > "This is good news for Europe and for the future of the Western Balkans > on > their road to the EU," EU Commission Foreign Relations Spokesman Gunnar > Wiegand said in Brussels. > > Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and Djukanovic were to attend a > summit > of EU leaders in Barcelona on Friday to be feted for agreeing the deal, > a > further step in calming the Balkans. > > Kostunica said the new state would embody a break with the former regime > > under Slobodan Milosevic, who led Yugoslavia into international > isolation. > > Kostunica's job will be replaced by a less powerful position in the new > union, which analysts said may hasten a showdown with his ruling > coalition > rival, Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic. > > Elections for new institutions would force a shakeout in Serbia's > unwieldy > 18-party ruling alliance. Kostunica's party could run against Djindjic > and > his allies and Kostunica himself may challenge Djindjic for the Serbian > premiership. > > 12:50 03-14-02 > > > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
