Montenegro Split Over Kosovo, Protests Threatened

Opposition pro-Serb parties said they would call on their followers to stage street protests if the parliament recognises Kosovo.

Montenegro's parliament passed a resolution on Friday that the opposition sees as a first step towards recognising the independence of Kosovo, a sharply divisive issue in the former Yugoslav republic.

Opposition pro-Serb parties said they would call on their followers to stage street protests if parliament recognises Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February.

"You have a historical responsibility to decide whether you will preserve the dignity of Montenegro or stab a bloody knife in the back of sister Serbia," Amfilohije Radovic, Serbian Orthodox bishop in Montenegro, said in a letter to President Filip Vujanovic.

The text of the ruling coalition's resolution on "the necessity to speed up the processes of joining the European Union and NATO" says it will "serve as a guideline for the country's policy on the Kosovo issue".

The document does not explicitly refer to recognition of Kosovo, a move Montenegro has postponed in order to avoid political turmoil. But it says Montenegro is "prepared to accept political reality that is valued as important for regional stability by the EU and NATO member states". "The text of the resolution indirectly but clearly suggests the recognition of Kosovo and indicates that it is a precondition for EU accession," said Predrag Popovic, leader of the opposition People's Party.

Forty-five deputies in the 78-seat parliament voted in favour of the resolution. The vote was expected to take place next week, but parliament extended the debate to allow deputies to cast their votes on Friday.

Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when NATO waged a bombing campaign to stop the ethnic cleansing of civilians in a counter-insurgency war in Serbia's former province.

Since Kosovo declared independence on Feb. 17 this year, 47 countries have recognised it.

"Today Kosovo independence is political reality and Montenegro cannot keep its eyes closed," Foreign Minister Milan Rocen told parliament on Friday.

Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic of some 650,000 people, voted to end its loose union with Serbia in 2006 and has since enjoyed strong growth, especially from tourism.

Freed from the wartime baggage of its neighbour, the Adriatic state signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU in 2007. But many Montenegrins still consider themselves Serbs and say that the country should support Serbia in its opposition to Kosovo secession.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and other officials say Western countries have exerted pressure on Montenegro to define its stance on Kosovo.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said he expected early recognition from Montenegro and Macedonia.

"We have received signals from Montenegro and Macedonia that they will recognise Kosovo independence soon," Sejdiu said in Pritina on Friday.