Military Scandal Endangers Serbia-Montenegro State Union

20/09/2005

Montenegrin officials threatened to vacate the state union's institutions due to pressure Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic has put on Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic. The officials say that Marovic is mostly responsible for a controversial military procurement deal.

By Jelena Tusup for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 20/09/05

"I have not felt comfortable in this post for a long time and it has been getting more difficult by the day," he said. "If you need a victim for the sake of good relations between Serbia and Montenegro, I agree to it," said Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic. [AFP]

Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic called for an emergency meeting of the state's top leaders on Monday (19 September), to ease tensions caused by a military procurement scandal that has been public for weeks.

Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic, who officials say is responsible for bringing the controversial deal to public attention, has pointed fingers at Marovic, infuriating Montenegrin officials. Marovic, a Montenegrin, has hinted that he may resign. "I have not felt comfortable in this post for a long time and it has been getting more difficult by the day," he said. "If you need a victim for the sake of good relations between Serbia and Montenegro, I agree to it."

The 300m-euro deal -- made with a private company -- included orders for items such as 500 pilots' jackets for an air force of 75 pilots, and 69,000 flak jackets and 74,000 helmets for a military force of about 28,000 soldiers, prompting allegations of corruption.

The company's owner, Mile Dragic, was arrested Monday for allegedly bribing unidentified defence ministry officials, while three ranking army officers were charged with receiving the bribes, Belgrade's B92 reported.

On Thursday, Montenegrin officials threatened that they would vacate the institutions of the Serbia-Montenegro state union in Belgrade and retire to Podgorica. Belgrade media reported on Friday that the head of Marovic's office, Vule Tomasevic, warned the pullout would occur unless an impartial international institution resolves the scandal.

If Montenegro follows through, this would block the state union from functioning, since the president and some ministers are from Montenegro, and the state union's assembly cannot make decisions without the voting majority from Montenegro.

On Sunday, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic repeated the threat, accusing the Serbian government of "conducting violence towards institutions of the state union, trying to control the state-union's authority". The Serbian government dismissed the allegations, saying that "only the state prosecutor can solve the military procurement case", and called for all to avoid political argument.

Djukanovic also accused Serbian politicians of using the scandal to proclaim Serbian independence before the referendum on the state-union, planned for next year. Dinkic's G17 Plus Party is has been advocating Serbian independence since 2003.

On 10 October, Serbia-Montenegro is to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, which would be another step closer to European integration.

Belgrade law professor Stevan Lilic told SE Times that the scandal could seriously damage that process, and could have a detrimental effect on Serbia, because "Serbia has more problems than Montenegro to solve, including the co-operation with The Hague tribunal, resolving Kosovo's status and judiciary corruption."