MONTENEGRO:YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT INTERVENES IN POLITICAL CRISIS

Описание: (13 Jan 1998) Natural Sound

The Yugoslav government on Tuesday intervened in the political crisis in Montenegro, which with Serbia makes up the Yugoslav republic.

Serbian state television said Belgrade premier Radoje Kontic started negotiations with outgoing Montenegrin president Momir Bulatovic and his successor Milo Djukanovic.

Bulatovic refuses to recognise the result of the October elections - his supporters have vowed to continue protests until their demands for a new vote is met.

Several thousand diehard supporters of outgoing Montenegrin president Momir Bulatovic gathered in the republican capital, Podgorica, late on Monday.

They vowed to stay until their demands for new presidential and parliamentary elections were met.

Tensions have risen in Montenegro since Milo Djukanovic won presidential elections last October.

He is due to officially take over on Thursday.

However, Bulatovic doesn't recognise the result - and has called on his supporters to take to the streets.

The crisis has split Montenegro and its 650-thousand people in two, with Djukanovic backers increasingly favouring independence and Bulatovic supporters still loyal to Serbia and Slobodan Milosovic, first Serbian and now federal president.

Bulatovic denied he told the top U-S envoy Robert Gelbard, who came to Podgorica on Monday in an attempt to diffuse the conflict, that he would hand office to Djukanovic.

SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"The high representative of American federation visited us today (cheers) I had the pleasure to talk to him and ask him how is it possible that he knows something about Montenegro, and we who live here don't know"
SUPER CAPTION: Momir Bulatovic,outgoing Montenegrin president

Bulatovic said he could never accept October's election results.

SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"It looks like I accepted inauguration of Milo Djukanovic as President. I wouldn't dare, and have the power to accept the fact that somebody can become a president with such irregularities and manipulations"
SUPER CAPTION: Momir Bulatovic,outgoing Montenegrin president

By Tuesday, the protest rally by Bulatovic and his supporters weakened.

The crowd shrank from about 15-thousand to some three-thousand of die-hards who stayed throughout the cold night, camping out in downtown Podgorica.

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