Seki Radoncic of the Podgorica weekly 'Monitor' writes in the November 14, 1997 issue of this magazine on the simmering conflict between the Yuogslav Army and the Montenegrin police.
After the Supreme Command of the Serbian-Montenegrin Federation, headed by Slobodan Milosevic, it was the Yugoslav military top that involved itself in the current political conflict in Montenegro. Instead of congratulating Milo Djukanovic on his victory, the Yugoslav Army generals, being twenty days late, 'rattle' with announcements - criticizing the unseemly behaviour of his sympathizers.
On the eve of the reconvening of the Montenegrin parliament, the Yugoslav Army demonstrated a veritable efficiency: being twenty days late, the Second Army Information Service issued an announcement in which it is complaining that the day after the second round of presidential elections was held (October 20, at 15h) 'unidentified persons' provoked the members of the Yugoslav Army, shooting around, and above the military garrisons in Podgorica, Pljevlja and Plav.
'The provocations were in the form of coarse insults of the members of the YA using unseemly language, and messages; through movement of vehicles near and around military installations; firing above the military installations and individual threats through the use of arms to military personnel on duty; stopping of military motor vehicles and issuing of various threats to persons and vehicles and similar', stressed the YA chief command.
The statement stresses that the public was not previously informed of this because it was considered that this could contribute to the worsening of the political situation, 'but since it was spoken about this at the session of the Montenegrin parliament, it was assessed that it was essential to publicly state what has happened'
Issuing of a statement with such a tone at a time when Momir Bulatovic and his supporters are attempting to bring the Montenegrin electoral division to white heat, it seems that the military top is back stabbing the electoral wish of the Montenegin populace, as well as the newly elected president Milo Djukanovic.
The timed statement of the Yugoslav Army was expressly answered by Filip Vujanovic, the Montenegrin minister of interior. Publicly addressing the commander of the Second Army, colonel general Bozidar Babic, the head of the Montenegrin police expressed his surprise that the Yugoslav Army did not inform him in a timely manner about the 'supposed incidents' of provocations against the army which have happened almost three weeks ago.
On Monday, November 11, a sudden meeting took place between the commander of the Second Army, colonel general Bozidar Babic and the minister of interior Filip Vujanovic. The representatives of the two opposed sides signed a short joint statement, from which it stems that the Yugoslav Army in no way changed its position.
The fact that the joint statement was agreed and signed on by general Babic and police minister Vujanovic, speaks sufficiently enough about the lack of confidence and very strained personal relations between the Montenegrin police and the Yugoslav Army.
Only so that the history does not repeat itself. Preceding military actions and bloodshed in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were also joint statements of the ministers there and Milosevic's generals.
As much as the Yugoslav Army pledges that it will not meddle into the political situation in Montenegro, the facts udeniably speak otherwise: The Supreme Command of the Yugoslav Army comprised of Slobodan Milosevic, Momir Bulatovic, Dragan Tomic and Radoje Kontic, aided by federal defence minister Pavle Bulatovic and generals chief of staff Momcilo Perisic, with their political direction are confronted with the reformist Montenegrin prime minister and newly elected president Milo Djukanovic.
Blindly following the path of the Supreme Command, nobody from the military top congratulated the victory to the newly elected Montenegrin president. Need there be a reminder, the military top made no statement whatsoever about the arrest of the 11 men strong insurgency group, among whom there were some YA officers: Vlado Kovacevic, an active military officer - major YA serving in the Military School in Pozarevac, and Branko Trubarac, former YA officer, with the rank of captain first class. The warrant of arrest of the Montenegrin prosecutor's office for these people, accused of terrorism is still in force.
With the late statement on the provocations against its servicemen, the Yugoslav Army intervened in the political situation in Montenegro. These late occurences, along with the recent incidents between patrol ships of the YA and those of the Montenegrin police near Herceg Novi, as well as frequent provocative and threatening over flights of military planes over the Montenegrin parliament, indicate that the generals, along with the statements, are rattling with the arms too.