Yugoslavia is expecting its historic decision

Yugoslavia’s fate is to be solved this coming spring. A group of the foreign policy, security and economic experts has already prepared the special reports pertaining to the future organization of Yugoslavia, as well as the reforms of relations between Serbia and Montenegro. The contents of the reports has not been exposed yet, until the top officials of Yugoslavia, Serbia, Montenegro, and the representatives of the international society get acquainted with them.

There is some information, saying the negotiations between the experts pertaining to the future of the republic were over with nothing – due to the incompatibility of the position of Serbia and Montenegro. One of the Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) newspapers published a statement, made by an anonymous member of the expert group. That person said that there was still a hope for Yugoslavia to be preserved as a federation, although it was not going to be that strong. It was also informed that the EU experts would present their schedule to Yugoslavia – the schedule regarding the reform of the federative relations.

The session of the top officials of the state (Voislav Kostunica, the president of Yugoslavia, the head of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, premier Zoran Djindjic and other officials will participate) is to start very soon, during the second half of January.

If the parties fail to achieve anything positive at the presence of the international observers, then there will be a referendum carried out in Montenegro in April of the current year, regarding the state and legal status of that republic.

The previous negotiations in October did not bring any results, due to the straight-out position of Podgorica. Montenegro’s president still states that Montenegro with the population of 500 thousand people will become independent in April of the year 2002, and Serbia should make up with the idea. Belgrade insists on the preservation of the Yugoslavian federation, even if its structure is reformed.

PRAVDA.Ru is currently making an interview with Doctor of Historic Science, the director of the center for international research of the up-to-date Balkan crisis, Elena Guskova. She will answer the questions from our correspondent about the current situation and the future of Yugoslavia. The material will be published on our site in the nearest future.

Sergey Yugov

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov