Opposition leader denies "Serb connection"

PODGORICA Leader of the Montenegrin opposition Democratic Front Miodrag Lekic has denied in an interview for B92 TV that this political entity was "a new Serb column". The former ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to Italy said the Democratic Front was a "civil option of the political center". Opposition leader denies "Serb connection" He also rejected as "absurd" the claims labeling him "Slobodan Milosevic's man": "That's incredible shamelessness. The DPS (led by Milo Djukanovic) is making observations as to who had been an ally of Milosevic, who had been his coalition partner during the wars, during Srebrenica, and let me remind you of something else... Milosevic was elected in 1997 thanks to the votes of the DPS - and that was Djukanovic's DPS, after the split with (Momir) Bulatovic. Without those votes from Djukanovic, Milosevic would not have been elected. Here's an absurd situation: a thief is standing in the street, shouting, 'catch that thief'." Lekic also expressed his regret that the Montenegrin opposition failed to unite, and said this was impossible "because the SNP party did not wish to enter a coalition on an equal footing". "They put forward this complicated, according to us, nonfunctional model, where they would be in coalition with this coalition, an outside factor within the coalition - that would have amounted to dualism, non-functionality, an atmosphere of insufficient trust," he explained. SNP leader Srdjan Milic, on the other hand, stressed that as his party, being the largest in the opposition bloc, "did everything they could in order for the uniting of the opposition to succeed": "This is not about whether or not we had tabled a proposal. This is about the gentlemen from the Front wishing, from the very start, to have by their side a part of the SNS rather than the whole." Milic also rejected accusations coming from former SNP leader Predrag Bulatovic, that "some in the party do not wish to beat the DPS in elections". Parliamentary elections will be held in Montenegro in October. Miodrag Lekic (file) B92

Opposition leader denies "Serb connection"

He also rejected as "absurd" the claims labeling him "Slobodan Milošević's man":

"That's incredible shamelessness. The DPS (led by Milo Đukanović) is making observations as to who had been an ally of Milošević, who had been his coalition partner during the wars, during Srebrenica, and let me remind you of something else... Milošević was elected in 1997 thanks to the votes of the DPS - and that was Đukanović's DPS, after the split with (Momir) Bulatović. Without those votes from Đukanović, Milošević would not have been elected. Here's an absurd situation: a thief is standing in the street, shouting, 'catch that thief'."

Lekić also expressed his regret that the Montenegrin opposition failed to unite, and said this was impossible "because the SNP party did not wish to enter a coalition on an equal footing".

"They put forward this complicated, according to us, nonfunctional model, where they would be in coalition with this coalition, an outside factor within the coalition - that would have amounted to dualism, non-functionality, an atmosphere of insufficient trust," he explained.

SNP leader Srđan Milić, on the other hand, stressed that as his party, being the largest in the opposition bloc, "did everything they could in order for the uniting of the opposition to succeed":

"This is not about whether or not we had tabled a proposal. This is about the gentlemen from the Front wishing, from the very start, to have by their side a part of the SNS rather than the whole."

Milić also rejected accusations coming from former SNP leader Predrag Bulatović, that "some in the party do not wish to beat the DPS in elections".

Parliamentary elections will be held in Montenegro in October.