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Yugoslav President Names Montenegrin as Premier-designate
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica on Tuesday named former finance minister Dragisa Pessich of Montenegro as prime minister-designate to form a new government, Yugoslavia's Tanjug news agency reported.
Kostunica has informed the two houses of the Federal Assembly, the Chamber of Republic and the Chamber of Citizens, of the nomination.
Pessich, a member of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, will replace Zoran Zizic, who resigned on June 29 to protest against the handover of former president Slobodan Milosevic to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Zizic, whose resignation sparked a political crisis in the country, has since led a caretaker government.
Pessich is expected to unveil his cabinet lineup and government policies before both chambers early next week, which will then vote on his nomination and the formation of the new government.
Under a deal between Montenegro's opposition umbrella group " Together With Yugoslavia" and Kostunica's DOS party alliance of Serbia, the new cabinet will be slimmed down to 10 members, compared to 16 of the outgoing government, with each side holding five posts. The SNP is the largest force of the "Together With Yugoslavia" group.
Pessich told the press Tuesday that the top priorities for the new government is to smooth the relations between Montenegro and Serbia and to gradually integrate the federation into the international community on the basis of maintaining its unity.
Under the Yugoslav constitution, if the president is from Serbia like Kostunica, the premier should come from Montenegro. Serbia and the smaller Montenegro are the two republics comprising the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Pessich, 47, has served two terms as Yugoslav finance minister since 1998.
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