MINELRES: PER: 3rd Roundtable on Interethnic Relations in Montenegro, July 5 2002, Budva

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Alex Grigor'ev <alex.grigorev@per-usa.org>


PROJECT ON ETHNIC RELATIONS

Interethnic Relations in Montenegro
Third PER Roundtable
Albanians in Montenegro

July 5, 2002
Budva, Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

On July 5, 2002, in Budva, PER�s Roundtable on Interethnic Relations
in Montenegro met for the third time.  This session was a follow up to
the previous roundtable that was held in Ulcinj in October 2001 (see
http://www.per-usa.org/montenegro2nd.doc).  The participants at the
Ulcinj roundtable had agreed on six practical steps, the
implementation of which would result in improvement of the situation
of the Albanian community in Montenegro.

The Budva roundtable was chaired by PER President Allen Kassof and was
opened by Dragan Djurovic, a deputy prime minister and acting minister
of foreign affairs of Montenegro, and Gezim Hajdinaga, minister for
ethnic communities of Montenegro.

The roundtable�s international participants emphasized that they were
well aware of the complexity of the current political situation in
Montenegro, especially the reforming of relations between Belgrade and
Podgorica. Despite the turbulent events in Montenegro�s neighborhood
in the last decade, the republic has managed to preserve its good
interethnic relations for which, as one participant said, it deserves
recognition.  The preservation and improvement of these good
interethnic relations can come only from within Montenegro.

The Montenegrin government representatives pointed out that Montenegro
presents a model of peaceful coexistence of different ethnic and
religious communities in the Balkans.  Since the start of the
post-Yugoslav wars, the republic has accepted tens of thousands of
refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Kosovo, including
ethnic Albanians.  Ethnic Albanian representatives agreed with this
assessment and expressed their appreciation for the actions of the
government of Montenegro during the war in Kosovo.  They also agreed
that Montenegro�s interethnic accord makes constructive approaches in
resolving ethnic issues possible.  Solid interethnic relations are a
good basis for a faster integration of Montenegro into Europe.

A senior government official emphasized that the government of
Montenegro is dedicated to the principles of multi-ethnic tolerance
and therefore has taken a number of steps, most of them coming from
the Ulcinj roundtable, toward improving the situation of the Albanian
ethnic community in the republic.  They include opening a border
crossing with Albania near Ulcinj and another one near Plav,
recognition of university diplomas issued in Kosovo, opening a
department for Albanian language teachers at the faculty of philosophy
in Niksic at the University of Montenegro, and founding a
government-sponsored weekly newspaper in the Albanian language.  The
parliament of Montenegro is currently drafting a law on the protection
of national minorities.  This government official mentioned that the
new constitutional charter of the state of Serbia and Montenegro that
is being discussed between Belgrade and Podgorica at the moment would
not be an obstacle to the continued existence of the ministry for
ethnic communities within the government of Montenegro.  He also
encouraged the Project on Ethnic Relations to focus its attention on
the problems of other ethnic communities in Montenegro.

Another member of the Montenegrin government added that the subject of
PER�s roundtable is important not only for the Albanians in
Montenegro, but also for the development of democracy in the country. 
This participant offered an update on implementation of the points
adopted at the meeting in Ulcinj in October 2001.

The Ulcinj points included (1) opening of a maternity hospital in
Ulcinj; (2) returning Tuzi the status of a separate municipality; (3)
opening a department for Albanian-language teachers at the University
of Podgorica; (4) recognition of university diplomas issued to
Albanian graduates in Tirana and Pristina; (5) opening a border
crossing near to Ulcinj; and (6) appointing ethnic Albanians for the
positions of chief of police and head judge in Ulcinj.

The ministry for ethnic communities was asked by the participants of
the Ulcinj roundtable to be in charge of implementing these points. 
Some of the points have already been implemented in the first half of
2002.  A new border crossing at Sukobin near Ulcinj is open, and
another border crossing at Vermosh, near Plav, is about to be open
soon. The Montenegrin government approved recognition of university
diplomas issued in Kosovo.  Diplomas issued by the universities of the
Republic of Albania will be recognized through the regular procedure
of validation, as it is the case with other foreign country issued
diplomas.  (Ethnic Albanian participants did not agree with this
procedure and proposed a special arrangement to be made through a
separate Montenegrin-Albanian government bilateral agreement. They
cited the agreement signed by the governments of Albania and Macedonia
as an example.)  The Montenegrin government accepted that a maternity
ward hospital would be open in Ulcinj but discussion continues over
financing the construction of the facility and other related technical
matters.

Issues of restoring municipal status to Tuzi and appointing ethnic
Albanians to the positions of the chief of police and head judge in
Ulcinj are still to be discussed.

As for the opening of the faculty for Albanian teachers, the ministry
for ethnic communities was notified by the ministry of education of
Montenegro that the department for Albanian language teachers is now
open at the faculty of philosophy in Niksic.

The ethnic Albanian participants rejected Niksic as an entirely
unacceptable location for such a faculty.  They insisted that all
participants at the Ulcinj session of the roundtable agreed that the
faculty would be located in Ulcinj or Tuzi.

A leading official at the ministry of education explained that the
government decision on the location of the department was affected by
the fact that Montenegro is a small place with limited financial means
and that the republic has no teacher�s college and that the faculty in
Niksic meets all necessary technical and educational requirements for
opening a department for Albanian language teachers.  Departments for
other languages, such as English, Italian, French, etc. are located in
Niksic as well.  This participant said that the Albanian students are
supposed to attend two years at the department for Albanian language
at the faculty of philosophy in Niksic and the remaining two years of
their studies will be pursued in Podgorica.  It was also pointed out
that the deans of the faculty of philosophy in Niksic and the faculty
of the University of Shkoder in Albania concluded an agreement of
cooperation and exchange of professors that would enhance the
Albanian-language studies in Niksic.  The ministry of education
considers that it would be technically difficult and expensive to move
the faculty to Tuzi or Ulcinj, and did not accept the argument that
the Albanian-language studies should be located exclusively in the
areas predominantly populated by Albanians.

A senior Podgorica city official who is also a member of the
leadership of the Democratic Party of Socialists reminded the
participants that it is in fact in the plans of DPS to return the
status of a separate municipality to Tuzi.  According to this plan it
should be done simultaneously with the adoption of a set of laws
related to the organization of local self-government in Montenegro,
financing of local self-government, and the law on the capital city of
Podgorica.

This official also commented on the location of the faculty for
Albanian teachers.  He said that because of the problems connected
with urban planning and lack of funds and of a sufficient economic
base in Tuzi it is impossible to open an institution of higher
education there.  He suggested Podgorica as a compromise location for
the faculty for Albanian-language teachers.  The faculty could be
temporarily moved to the university�s old rectorate building in
Podgorica.  The new building of the rectorate is under construction
and is to be completed by the end of the year.  After that, the
faculty for Albanian-language teachers could move in.  This
participant also said that with support of the international
community, a new building for the faculty for Albanian language
teachers within the university campus in Podgorica could be built in
two to three years.  This participant and other Montenegrin officials
emphasized that the ghettoization of Albanian-language education is a
very bad and unacceptable option.

One of the leaders of the ethnic Albanian community in Montenegro
continued the theme.  He was emphatic that Niksic is not suitable for
any Albanian-language studies, stressing that the ethnic Albanian
students do not feel safe in Niksic.  Albanians still remember threats
that were made against them there.  Even today, when ethnic Albanian
students who study at other departments there telephone home from
Niksic, they speak with their parents in Serbian rather than in
Albanian in order not to attract attention of those who might hear
them speaking in their mother tongue.  So far, not a single Albanian
had applied to study at the new department for Albanian language in
Niksic.

A representative of the Montenegrin governing coalition viewed
positively the proposal to move the faculty for Albanian teachers from
Niksic.

The ethnic Albanian participants also did not agree with the structure
of the curriculum for the Albanian language studies in Niksic.  They
objected to the fact that most of the subjects will be taught in
Serbian rather than in Albanian.  One of the Albanians called for
alternative European models of minority education to be explored.  A
representative of the Montenegrin opposition said that it would be
harmful for the interests of the Albanian students if they were to
miss the second deadline for enrollment in the new department in
Niksic.  He also thinks that safety concerns regarding Niksic are
strongly exaggerated.  This participant did suggest, however, that
Podgorica could be a compromise solution for the location of the
faculty for Albanian language teachers.

An ethnic Albanian representative stated firmly that Podgorica would
not be an acceptable solution for the location of the faculty for
Albanian teachers.  Such a faculty should be located in Tuzi or Ulcinj
only, he said. He also clarified that the Albanians do not want a
department for Albanian language but a faculty for Albanian teachers.

A high-level official of the ruling party said that he believes that
all necessary safety and other conditions will be met in Niksic, that
it is a good place for the faculty for Albanian language teachers, and
that safety concerns of the Albanians are exaggerated.  He mentioned
that there is a general shortage of well-trained and educated
personnel in Montenegro and not only within the ethnic Albanian
community.  He added that the only criterion for selecting personnel
should be professional ability and not ethnic origin or party
affiliation.  This participant also said that there are ongoing
consultations at the highest level about the issue of appointing new
heads of police and court in Ulcinj.

The organizers of the Budva meeting believe that the discussions
demonstrated that political will exists on both sides and that this
may make it possible to implement the remaining points that had been
agreed on in Ulcinj.  The issue of the location of the faculty seems
to be the most difficult, but with some additional consultation and
willingness to compromise it could be resolved, perhaps before the end
of this year.

Participants in the Budva Roundtable

Mehmet Bardhi, Member, Parliament of Montenegro; President, Democratic
League in Montenegro
Razvigor Bazala, Public Affairs Officer, Podgorica Office, US Embassy
in FRY
Ferhat Dinosha, Member, Parliament of Montenegro (Democratic Alliance
of Albanians)
Dragan Djurovic, Deputy Prime Minister, Acting Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Government of Montenegro
Jamie Factor, Democratization Officer, OSCE Office in Montenegro
Rada Gavrilovic, Consultant, OSCE Office in Montenegro
Alex Grigor�ev, Program Officer, Project on Ethnic Relations (USA)
Gezim Hajdinaga, Minister for the Protection of Rights of Persons
Belonging to National and Ethnic Communities, Government of Montenegro
Dusan Janjic, Director, Forum for Ethnic Relations (Belgrade); Member,
PER Council for Ethnic Accord
Allen Kassof, President, Project on Ethnic Relations (USA)
Dragan Koprivica, Member, Parliament of Montenegro; Spokesperson,
Socialist People�s Party
Ranko Krivokapic, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms,
Parliament of Montenegro; President, Social Democratic Party
Miomir Mugosa, Mayor, City of Podgorica
Dzemal Perovic, President, Conference of the Liberal Alliance of
Montenegro
Livia Plaks, Executive Director, Project on Ethnic Relations (USA)
Rifat Rastoder, Vice President, Parliament of Montenegro; Vice
President, Social Democratic Party
Bozidar Sekularac, Assistant Minister of Education and Science,
Government of Montenegro
Aleksandar Vidojevic, Representative in Serbia and Montenegro, Project
on Ethnic Relations
Miodrag Vukovic, Head, Parliamentary Group of Democratic Party of
Socialists, Parliament of Montenegro; Adviser on Constitutional and
Legal Issues to the President of Montenegro

____________________________________________________

Alex N. Grigor'ev
Program Officer

Project on Ethnic Relations
15 Chambers Street
Princeton, NJ 08542-3707, USA
Tel. 609-683-5666
Fax 419-858-4443 or 609-683-5888
E-mail: alex.grigorev@per-usa.org or  per@per-usa.org
PER Web Site: www.per-usa.org