----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 7:14 AM Subject: [STOPNATO] Djukanovic blasted for appology... STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window. Montenegrin opposition calls Djukanovic traitor BELGRADE, June 26 (Reuters) - Montenegrin opposition parties loyal to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Monday blasted the Montenegrin President's recent apology to Croatia saying it showed he was a traitor to his people. ``The Montenegrin president's gesture is a continuation of the policy of servility, treachery, hate and provocation of conflicts among his own people,'' Velizar Nikcevic, head of Montenegro's opposition Serb People's Party was quoted by Yugoslav Tanjug news agency as saying. ``There is no doubt, with the apology to Croatia...the Montenegrin regime is entering the last phase of treason, openly calling occupation forces into this part of the unified state,'' Nikcevic said. Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic on Saturday extended his apologies for ``pain and damage'' Croatians suffered at the hands of his compatriots in the 1991-95 Balkan wars. At the time Djukanovic was the prime minister of the coastal republic which together with its larger partner Serbia makes up Yugoslavia. Since his election as president in 1997 pro-Western Djukanovic, a former Milosevic ally, has been drawing his republic away from Milosevic-dominated Serbia. Belgrade has accused the Montenegrin authorities and the Serbian opposition of being lackeys of the West, bent on destabilising and breaking up what is left of Yugoslavia. Belgrade's pro-government daily Politika said on Monday that Djukanovic had again ``soiled the reputation of the proud Montenegrins by dropping to his knees before Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.'' ``The Montenegrin president has accepted the blackmail of his Croatian colleague who forced him to apologise to the Croatian people and the ustashi,'' Politika said, referring to the World War Two quisling Nazi formation in Croatia. The Montenegrin Socialist People's Party said that Djukanovic could only apologise in his own name because the ``real, true Montenegro has renounced him long ago.'' There was no immediate reaction from Belgrade authorities to the apology. Serbian opposition parties made widely differing comments, some praising the move and others ridiculing it. Predrag Simic of the opposition Serbian Renewal Movement said it was a ``brave step'' that inspired hope for a normalisation of relations in the region after years of war and suffering, independent Beta news agency said. The President of the Democratic Party of Serbia Vojislav Kostunica said that Djukanovic was ``washing his hands'' of everything he had done in the past and was trying to present himself in a different light adapted to Western taste. ``He had not only implemented but created Montenegrin and Yugoslav policies and is now acting as though it had been his double,'' said Kostunica. 14:16 06-26-00 Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] GET PAINLESS BUSINESS FINANCING! Comparison shop for, apply for, and secure financing from the nation's best-known financial institutions. One short application gets you the financing your business needs. Get the financing you need today at LiveCapital.com! http://www.bcentral.com/fcsponsor/livecapital
