The Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro announced today that it "strongly rejects the incorrect and malicious claims of former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Živković that the SNP was not against the separation of Serbia and Montenegro."
In an interview with "Vijesti", Živković said that if the SNP had wanted to, it could have stopped the process of separating Serbia and Montenegro.
"We remind Mr. Živković and the public that during the existence of the state union, the SNP had a significant and responsible role in the federal government, where we consistently and clearly advocated the position of preserving the common state. Our ministers and representatives in the Federal Government worked precisely to strengthen relations between Montenegro and Serbia, to improve the rights of our citizens and to preserve the stability of the then union," the SNP statement states.
The party added that "in the federal governments, when Zoran Žižić and Dragiša Pešić were prime ministers, there were no representatives of the DPS (Democratic Party of Socialists) - which best shows who truly defended the common state."
"How much the SNP was dedicated to this goal is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the then SNP president led the bloc for a common state in the 2006 referendum. Therefore, we rightly ask: why has Zoran Živković not spoken about this until now, and why is he stating such gross untruths today? In whose interest is he trying to rewrite historical facts and diminish the role of the SNP in preserving the state union? It is precisely because of such 'truths' that Zoran Živković is stating today that his political fate ended as he deserved - in complete failure. The SNP, however, still exists and will be even stronger in the years to come," the SNP statement reads.
The party said that the SNP "was and remains a party that clearly and loudly defends the interests of its citizens."
"Today, we still advocate for the closest possible relationship between Montenegro and Serbia, based on mutual respect, cooperation and trust, because we believe that this is of vital importance for the future of both countries and all our citizens. And Mr. Živković cannot change the fact that his political career is long over with such untruths, so all he can do is remind the public through attempts to insult the SNP that it still exists - and only on the margins," said the SNP's executive committee.
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