Appeal to Condemn Belgrade's Threat to Peace in Montenegro, Region

Montenegro march, Serbian Orthodox Church clergy (Beta/AP/Risto Bozovic)

Nearly a hundred intellectuals from the territory of former Yugoslavia sent an appeal to the international community on Dec. 30, asking it to condemn "a political, religious and media campaign" designed in Belgrade, "threatening peace and stability in Montenegro and the region."

The appeal signed by 86 intellectuals, reacting to developments in the wake of a Religious Freedoms Act passed recently by the Montenegrin parliament, described as "impermissible" the passivity of European institutions and democratic governments in condemning "the most recent attempt at destabilizing Montenegro based on the principles of Slobodan Milosevic's policy.

"Belgrade's political, religious and media campaign of misinformation, carried out in Podgorica and Banjaluka, is a serious threat to peace not only in Montenegro, but the region at large. The state of Montenegro is exposed to an attempt at violent destabilization - the threat is to its peace, territorial integrity, constitutional order, rule of law, equality of citizens, churches and religious communities," the group of intellectuals said in their appeal.

The university professors, authors, former senior government officials and politicians, journalists, historians and artists from the former Yugoslavia feel that Belgrade, "is making yet another attempt to bring Montenegro back into a shared state framework with Serbia, preventing its consolidation as an independent and sovereign state."