[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 10 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E82]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROMOTING AND PROTECTING DEMOCRACY IN MONTENEGRO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 8, 2000

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, last week I chaired a hearing 
before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on 
promoting and protecting democracy in Montenegro. Montenegro is a small 
republic with only about 700,000 inhabitants, and yet it is among the 
strongest proponents of democratic change in the Balkans. As a result, 
Montenegro has the potential of being the target of the next phase of 
the Yugoslav conflict which began in 1991.
  Montenegro, with a south Slavic population of Eastern Orthodox 
heritage, is the Only other former Yugoslav republic to have maintained 
ties in a federation with Serbia. Since 1997, Montenegro has moved 
toward democratic reform, and its leaders have distanced themselves 
from earlier involvement in the ethnic intolerance and violence which 
devastated neighboring Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. In contrast, the 
Belgrade regime of Slobodan Milosevic has become more entrenched in 
power and more determined to bring ruin to Serbia, if necessary to 
maintain this power. The divergence of paths has made the existing 
federation almost untenable, especially in the aftermath of last year's 
conflict in Kosovo. We now hear reports of a confrontation with 
Milosevic and possible conflict in Montenegro as a result.
  One witness Janusz Bugajski of the Center for Strategic and 
International Studies, presented the conflict scenarios. He said: 
``Other than surrendering Montenegro altogether, Belgrade has three 
options: a military coup and occupation; the promotion of regional and 
ethnic conflicts; or the provocation of civil war. More likely 
Milosevic will engage in various provocations, intimidations and even 
assassinations to unbalance the Montenegrin leadership. He will 
endeavor to sow conflict between the parties in the governing 
coalition, heat up tensions in the Sandjak region of Montenegro by 
pitting Muslims against Christian Orthodox, and threaten to partition 
northern Montenegro if Podgorica [the capital of Montenegro] pushes 
toward statehood. The political environment will continue to heat up 
before the planned referendum'' on independence.
  In addition to the ongoing operations to keep the peace and provide 
justice and democratic governance in Bosnia and Kosovo, Mr. Speaker, 
the United States and the rest of the international community will face 
the challenge this year of promoting and protecting democracy in 
Montenegro. Srdjan Darmanovic, head of the Center for Democracy and 
Human rights in Montenegro, said it is logical and understandable that 
the international community encourages the Montenegrin authorities to 
follow a policy of ambiguity on the republic's future. On the one hand, 
the international community already has the burden of two peacekeeping 
operations in the former Yugoslav region and doesn't want another, yet 
it does not want Milosevic to seize Montenegro and stop the democratic 
development taking place there. Darmonovic concluded, however, that 
this situation ``creates a very narrow space in which the Montenegrin 
Government has to play a dangerous chess game with the Milosevic regime 
in which the price of failure or miscalculation could be very high. . . 
. The `politics of ambiguity' has very dangerous limits. It cannot last 
forever.''
  Veselin Vukotic, head of the Center for Entrepreneurship in 
Montenegro, described the economic steps which Montenegro has taken to 
distance itself from Serbia. He said that Montenegrin citizens cannot 
wait for the day when Milosevic resigns, which may never come. Economic 
change must begin now. The introduction of the Deutsche mark as a 
second currency has allowed the Montenegrin economy to move away from 
that of Yugoslavia as a whole. This has led to a decrease in Serbian-
Montenegrin commerce and permits Montenegro to receive outside 
assistance even as Serbia remains under international sanctions. Still, 
he noted that the Montenegrin economy needs to be transformed into a 
market economy. This will require transparency to deter the continuing 
problem of corruption, as well as the development of a more open 
society.
  Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, Montenegro is no longer alone in seeking to 
base its future on multi-ethnic accord, democracy and openness, rather 
than the nationalism of the 1990s. Beginning in late 1998, a similar 
trend began in Macedonia, and now in Croatia, new government leaders 
were elected who will reverse the nationalist authoritarianism of the 
Tudjman years. Hopefully, this will resonate in Serbia itself, where 
change is needed. The bottom line, as the Assistant Secretary of State 
for European Affairs Marc Grossman said in a conversation, is that 
there must be change in Serbia
  In testimony before the Senate Committee on Armed Services last week, 
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet made clear: ``Of the many 
threats to peace and stability in the year ahead, the greatest remains 
Slobodan Milosevic--the world's only sitting president indicted for 
crimes against humanity. . . . He retains control of the security 
forces, military commands, and an effective media machine.''
  With good judgment and resolve, Mr. Speaker, conflict can be avoided 
in Montenegro, and those seeking conflict deterred. As democracy is 
strengthened in Montenegro, the international community can also give 
those in Serbia struggling to bring democracy to their republic a 
chance to succeed. The people of Serbia deserve support. Democracy-
building is vital for Serbs, Montenegrins and others living in the 
entire southeastern region of Europe.
  Mr. Speaker, in the past decade, those of us who follow world affairs 
have had an in-depth lesson in the history, geography and demography of 
southeastern Europe. Places like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and 
Kosovo were little known and little understood. Unfortunately, too many 
policymakers became aware of them only as the news reports of ethnic 
cleansing began to pour in.
  The Helsinki Commission, which I have now had the honor of chairing 
for the past 5 years, has sought for over two decades to inform Members 
of Congress, the U.S. Government and the American public, of developing 
issues in countries of Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. 
Hopefully, with timely and well-informed attention, we can more 
effectively and quickly respond to a potential crisis, and perhaps save 
lives.

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