Milka Tadic
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The deployment of Yugoslav army troops on Montenegro's frontiers has tightened Belgrade's stranglehold over the tiny republic.
The latest assassination in Belgrade is being linked to Montenegro's bid to leave the Yugoslav fold.
On a cold winter's night in Podgorica, thousands of demonstrators chanted their support for Federal Prime Minister Bulatovic, proving that the pro-Serbian constituency in Montenegro remains a force to be reckoned with.
Could Arkan's ties with Montenegro - including his support for the republic's president - provide a motive for the warlord's murder?
According to some observers, the Federal Army's troop numbers in Montenegro has doubled since the fighting against NATO ended and the tensions between Belgrade and Podgorica have deepened.
Montenegrin and Serbian representatives have meet to discuss relations between the two republics. But the first round was only tactical sparring.
Tensions during Orthodox Christmas celebrations between pro-Montenegro and pro-Serbia contingents highlighted political divisions within the republic, and within the government itself.