Attack on Dubrovnik: 30 000 Ustasa marsira na Crnu Goru

Films Stir Memories of Montenegro's Wartime Guilt
28 05 2007 Montenegro's leaders may have forgotten their craven support for Serbia's wars in Croatia and Bosnia but some filmmakers won't let them off the hook

By Paul Hockenos and Jenni Winterhagen in Podgorica



One year after declaring independence, a controversial film is forcing a visibly reluctant Montenegro to wrestle with the legacy of its role in the bloody conflicts of the early 1990s.

In 1991, as part of Serbia's war against Croatia, Yugoslav Army units led by Montenegrin officers and full of Montenegrin reservists ravaged many of the villages in the southernmost tip of Croatian Dalmatia and shelled the historic port city of Dubrovnik, causing millions of euros in damage and hundreds of civilian deaths. Throughout the duration of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, Montenegro remained in a federal state with Serbia until 2003 when the two countries formed a loose state union.

In 1997, Montenegro expressed regret for its part in the wars and the consequent atrocities. However, the process of coming to terms with the past has been selective and superficial, say opposition critics.

"Rat za mir", which in Serbian means "war for peace", was the cynical slogan under which Montenegrin politicians backed the Yugoslav Army's campaign in southern Croatia.

It is also the name of Montenegrin filmmaker Koca Pavlovic's controversial film about those events, which is only today, four years after its production, showing in state -- administered locations, such as universities, in the country.

Formally, the Montenegrin government, which is led by the same party that ran the republic in the 1990s, has taken important steps to right the wrongs committed during the period.

As well as expressing regret for its role in 1997, it has -- in stark contrast to Serbia - co-operated fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, ICTY, in The Hague.

In 2004-05, the court found former Montenegrin admiral Miodrag Jokic and General Pavle Sturgar guilty of war crimes and sentenced each of them to eight years' imprisonment.

Pavlovic, who is an opposition politician as well as a filmmaker, says Montenegro's gestures have not addressed the fundamental issue of responsibility for the war and the atrocities.

"Now everything is fine and wonderful between Zagreb and Podgorica but things between the people of Herceg Novi and Niksic [Montenegrin border towns] and Dubrovnik aren't fine," he says. "A real process of reconciliation hasn't even started. The politicians are just saying that it's happened."

Pavlovic added: "Our politicians, like [former president and prime minister Milo] Djukanovic still haven't visited Dubrovnik. They don't have the courage to try to walk down the streets in Dubrovnik because they can't, yet."

In a surprise move, shortly after the independence referendum last year, Djukanovic stepped down as prime minister, a post he had held almost uninterrupted since 1991. From 1998-2002 he served as President. He remains head of the ruling Party of Democratic Socialists.

There was much speculation at the time of his resignation from the government that the international community had put pressure on him to quit because of his involvement in the conflicts of the 1990s and in various blackmarket activities.

In Pavlovic's film, Djukanovic admits his actions and statements at the time were wrong but maintains he acted in good faith, as he had been under the impression that Montenegro was threatened.



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Category:

News & Politics

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• croatia
• hrvatska
• war
• rat
• montenegro
• crna
• gora
• ustasa
• serbia
• srbija
• yugoslavia
• LSCG
• serbian
• serbs
• srbi
• srj
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[natascha22HN]

Ljudi, nikada nećemo znati istinu, i Hrvati i Srbi su bili i ostali samo figure koje pomjeraju velike sile, sprovode nam taktiku Zavadi pa vladaj...a neki to još ne vide...to mene boli...ja sam srpkinja jer su mi to otac i djed bili, ali volim Crnu Goru i Hrvate i Muslimane ako su dobri ljudi jer ljudi mogu biti samo dobri i loši! Moj niko nije išao na Dubrovnik...mog oca nisu smjeli da zovu znali su da neće!

BUDITE TO ŠTO JESTE ALI NE IDITE U KRAJNOSTI, VOLITE LJUDE, BUDITE HUMANI!

[danydbk]

ti vjerujes da je u demitaliziranom dubrovniku (1971) bilo spremno 30 000 "ustasa"(kojih nema od 1945) za napad na crnu goru?

1995 smo bili 20 kn od banja luke i nismo isli dalje iako se vojska RS povukla

iscerali smo vas iz podrucja dubrovnika ,bombardirali trebinje

rsk je pala

ako tada nismo htjeli osvajat tude(iako smo mogli i imali razloga za osvetu) opet nismo

jer mi ovaj prokleti rat nismo trazili

nismo isli na srbiju i na crnu goru

mi smo branili svoje

[Myster151]

Can someone tell me song name? Or send me song please! It is very important. Contact me PM. thx so much!

[MegaDobar]

SRAMOTA ZA CG!

[SuperPeterpig]

VANDALI - CEO SVET VAS JE PROKLINJAO DOK SU GLEDALI BOMBARDOVANJE DUBROVNIKA !!!

[MrKanda90]

UBIJ, ZAKOLJI, DA HRVAT NE POSTOJI !!! UBIJ HRVATA, DA ŠIPTAR NEMA BRATA !!!

[CelticMr]

Sam Dukanovic zna da nema veze nikakva invazija 91' prema Crnoj Gori. Hrvati onda nisu ni imali profesionalnu vojsku, nego saku jadni entuzijasta, koji su se sa srcom borili za pravednu stvari. A to je demokratska i zapadno orijentirana Republika Hrvatska.

Danas je sve to stvarnosti, i RH je po tradiciji clan civiliziranog drustva zemalja i bori se za svoje interese i svojih saveznika. Nikada vise nece Hrvati biti rob primitivnog i prljavoga Balkanizma, sa Narodima koji nemaju isti mentalitet.

[crox342]

pita mali jovan u kniznjici:

gde je odjel sa velkim srpskim pobedama? Sine bajke su ti na drugom katu.

[scalper2009]

@OtadzbinaiKrv zabolje mene kurac za republiku srpsku..ja pricam o ratu izmedju moje lijepe domovine i srbije...vi ste okupirali trecinu hrvatske teritorije....mi smo vas na kraju iscerali sa sangom i opet vratili svaki kvadrat hrvatskoj...ko je dobio rat? HRVATSKA neka bude jasno...u cemu smo mi unazadjeni? mi nismo imali pretenzije..samo htjeli svojku drzavu,koju smo i dobili pobjedivsi rat protiv tadasnje SRJ...uci malo povijest

[scalper2009]

@sanakym ja nisam ustasa..ja sam hrvat...ustase i cetnici su ista govna...nemrzim srbe ukoliko srbi..samo mrzim cetnike..a ti si budala neka ne znam ni zasto pisem tebi...cisto gubljenje vremena :)

[scalper2009]

@sanakym a dobili smo vas...vi ste okupirali trecinu nase teritorije...a na kraju smo vas pocerali...znaci ko je tu pobjedio? jeste li vi ostvarili cilj velike srbije? ne! jesmo li mi dobili nasu teritoriju? da! ko je pobjedio? MI! tisina!

[scalper2009]

@munzetebra svi pljujete protiv NATO saveza u srbiji...a htio bih opet citati vase komentare za koju godinu kada cete i vi biti u tom savezu :) a kao necete.. :) niste nekada bili ni za EU pa vam je danas to strateski cilj...niste ni davali mogucnost kompromisu za kosovu a evo vec danas sve dolazi na svoje..kosovo 100% nezavisno itd..razmislite pa tek onda pricajte