Thaci's planned Montenegro lecture canceled

Thaci's planned Montenegro lecture canceled

PODGORICA -- Kosovo Deputy PM Hashim Thaci's lecture, scheduled for Thursday in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, has been canceled for security reasons.

Thaci was to speak about "NATO integrations."

The daily Dnevne Novine quoted unnamed sources who said it was assessed that the lecture would have been "a good opportunity for some citizens to express their dissatisfaction with Thaci's visit, so the idea has been abandoned."

The visit will go ahead - Thaci's first official to Montenegro - and is causing many reactions, with refugee associations announcing protest over the deprivation of rights of the Montenegrins and Serbs who still live in Kosovo, and the inability of those forced to leave to return to their homes.

SPC Metropolitan Amfilohije on Tuesday, during the celebration of the Orthodox New Year, asked the Montenegrin authorities to rescind their recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and called for those present to also pray for the 30,000 refugees from Kosovo who live in Montenegro to be provided with "rebuilt homes."

"For our Montenegrin chiefs to rebuild their homes. And to, at the same time, investigate in international courts who committed genocide in Kosovo," he said.

The metropolitan then stated that Thaci was "one of the main actors of the genocide in Kosovo and Metohija," and should be in the Hague Tribunal.

Thaci, meanwhile, told the Podgorica daily Pobjeda that the constitution of Kosovo would be changed in order to include Montenegrins and Croats as national minorities, and added:

"The Montenegrin national minority is a historic part of Kosovo, in the same way the Albanian minority is of Montenegro...