In Brief... Montenegrin Faction Presses for Independence
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The Montenegrin independence movement has moved into high gear as NATO troops move into Kosovo.
With Milosevic licking his wounds and NATO present in the region in force, now appears as good a time as any for Montenegro to secede from the Yugoslav Federation. However, there is a great deal weighing against secession, not the least of which is the impact a Montenegrin civil war would have on NATO efforts to stabilize Kosovo. Therefore, the pro-Western government of President Milo Djukanovic appears willing to postpone an independence bid for the time being. The question is, will Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic force the issue in Montenegro, generating a new crisis in an effort to remain in power? (STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update, June 17, 1999).