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Djukanovic, left, and Milosevic VIDEO CNN's Alessio Vinci reports on the drive to oust Milosevic (July 14) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the arrival in Kosovo of U.N. war crimes tribunal prosecutor Louise Arbour (July 14) Windows Media 28K 80K  MESSAGE BOARD: Rebuilding Kosovo  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: Focus on Kosovo

July 14, 1999
Web posted at: 10:07 a.m. EDT (1407 GMT)

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Montenegrin officials arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday for a round of talks that could move Serbia's last partner in the Yugoslav federation closer to independence.

Representatives of Montenegro's pro-Western ruling coalition were proposing that the relationship be loosened between the two republics, which are all that remain of the former Yugoslavia.

"Relations between Montenegro and Serbia are possible on a confederal basis, so that both Serbia and Montenegro are independent states," Blagot Mitric, head of Montenegro's supreme court, was quoted as saying by independent Belgrade media.

If the talks fail, there could be a referendum on independence in Montenegro and, some fear, civil war.

"If Montenegro's offer is rejected, we have no choice but (to) hold an independence referendum," said Miodrag Vukovic, a top aide to Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic. Vukovic predicted that Montenegrins would vote to split from "(President Slobodan) Milosevic's Yugoslavia."

Montenegro has been distancing itself from Serbian and Yugoslavian policies with increasing frequency, most noticeably over Milosevic's decisions over Kosovo.

But the smaller Montenegro provides Yugoslavia with its only direct access to the sea.

And a new confederation would allow anti-Milosevic Montenegrin legislators -- whom the Yugoslav president has blocked from taking their seats in the current parliament -- to join a new legislative body and maybe join with opposition Serb parties to try to remove Milosevic from office.

"It is not realistic to expect that the Serbian side agrees to it," Vukovic said last week. "Mainly because it would lead to Milosevic's ouster."

Montenegro and Serbia are the sole remnants of Josip Broz Tito's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1991 -- four years after Milosevic rose to power -- Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Slovenia all declared independence, sparking bloody Balkans wars.

Anti-Milosevic marches may move to capital

While the Montenegrins and Serbians met, signs of public discontent with Milosevic were on the rise.

Thousands of demonstrators filled cities across Serbia Tuesday, demanding that the Yugoslav president resign, and opposition leaders called for a massive march on the capital.

"In 10 to 15 days, from Serbia's biggest towns, thousands will start a march on Belgrade," Zoran Djindjic, head of the Democratic Party, told about 4,000 people in Jagodina. "Be ready, we will call you. This is not about politics, this is a question of survival."

Another activist with the coalition Alliance for Change said he was "ashamed to be a Serb in Serbia with this kind of government."

"We must free Serbia from Milosevic and his cronies," said Velimir Ilic, also in Jagodina, 75 miles south of Belgrade.

Serbs are increasingly angry with Milosevic, who has presided over the break-up of Yugoslavia with brutal force. Many Serbs now blame him for bringing on the 11-week NATO bombing campaign that cost the Serbs Kosovo, which they consider their ancient homeland.

In other developments:

• U.N. war crimes tribunal prosecutor Louise Arbour was touring mass graves sites in Kosovo on Wednesday, getting a first-hand look at the evidence-gathering work of forensic teams.
• Moderate ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova was to return to Kosovo Thursday after several months abroad.
• Notorious Serb paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic -- known as "Arkan" -- reportedly has asked Belgium if he would be arrested if he moved there. Raznatovic has been indicted for war crimes in Bosnia.
• The United Nations, responsible for civilian administration of Kosovo, plans to begin its own radio broadcasts directly to the province's residents, after it was unable to persuade Serbs and ethnic Albanians to share the airwaves through a basic service of publicly owned Radio Pristina.
• Ethnic Albanians in neighboring Macedonia, who say they want more equality in the tiny country's coalition government, are seeking to elect their own vice president.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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