Former US Ambassador William Montgomery: There Is a Risk of Violence in BiH and Kosovo

"There is a risk of violence in both Bosnia and Kosovo, and that must be addressed. The Dayton and Kumanovo agreements have major flaws and need to be revised. The fact is, it’s been 30 years since Dayton and nearly as long since Kumanovo, and neither is functioning - there are problems in both places. I’ve suggested changes," Montgomery said in the Sinteza program.

He added that the US government and the West have neglected Kosovo and have failed to hold Prime Minister Kurti accountable for the provocations he’s caused, thus violating the agreement.

Speaking about the sanctions against NIS that came into effect on October 9, Montgomery emphasized that a solution could lie in the help of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"When the government changed in 2000, it took a long time to lift the sanctions imposed due to Milošević. In their eyes, these new sanctions also target the Russian government. We tried to resolve this. I hope Putin will recognize the issue and agree to sell the refinery to Serbia. That would be a way for Putin to help. I regret that Serbia is collateral damage in this case," the former US ambassador to Belgrade concluded.

Montgomery recalled events in Serbia in 2000, when he returned to diplomatic service in Belgrade.

That was a time of great change when the regime of Slobodan Milošević was overthrown.

"Milošević made a big mistake with the elections. When the Democratic Opposition of Serbia won, he refused to accept the results and demanded a second round. It was a very tense time - we didn’t know how it would all play out - and we returned to Belgrade from Budapest. We knew there would be challenges because a new government had come to power, and there were disagreements," the diplomat said.

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He added that the US also placed many challenges before the new government.

"Challenges such as The Hague Tribunal and bringing war criminals to justice. We thought the fall of Milošević meant the fall of all his policies - but that wasn’t the case. He was overthrown due to the economic situation, years of sanctions, and hardship. People wanted change. I remember the State Department gave me a list of ten things the new government had to do to show they were different from Milošević. If I could go back, I would refuse that list, because it showed a lack of understanding of the situation", the former ambassador said.

Montgomery emphasized that the Serbian people and the leadership of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) deserve credit for October 5th.

Speaking about his relationships with Zoran Đinđić and Vojislav Koštunica, the diplomat noted that with Đinđić, the relationship was easy and friendly, while with Koštunica, it was "colder".
 

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