Montenegrins

Opposition groups are planning an anti-NATO rally on Saturday, demanding a referendum on Montenegro's upcoming membership of the Western alliance.

On December 2, Montenegro received a long-awaited invitation to become the 29th member of NATO. The government called it a "historic moment".

"We congratulate the government and people for this achievement, this is a very good day for Montenegro, a good day for the Western Balkans and the whole alliance, " NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the foreign ministers North-Atlantic Council meeting on Wednesday in Brussels.

The Podgorica government believes that a NATO membership invitation is inevitable at the two-day meeting that starts on Tuesday and has invited dozens of journalists from major Montenegrin media to Brussels to witness the occasion.

A controversial Montenegrin author has published an article claiming that Montenegrins are not Serbs - Slavs whose ancestors migrated to the Balkans.

Instead, Miroslav Cosovic writes for the Analitika website, Montenegrins are the peninsula's indigenous people.

Montenegrins who have been protesting for weeks for the resignation of veteran Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's government took to the streets led by an opposition which is calling for fair elections and a tougher fight against corruption and organised crime.

US Vice-President Joseph Biden told Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic by phone on Monday that Washington supports NATO membership for Montenegro, "provided that Montenegro continues pursuing reforms and boosts popular support" for joining.

The 28-member alliance is due to make a decision on Montenegro's membership in December.

Ethnic Montenegrins comprise 45 per cent of the country's citizens but hold just over 74 per cent of the jobs in the public administration, according to a new government study.

Ethnic Serbs make up 28 per cent of the population but have only 11 per cent of the jobs on the state payroll.

An online petition asking Serbia's authorities to stop providing "free studies" in Serbia for Montenegrins had been signed by 15,000 people by Monday.

A petition calling for the abolition of free tuition privileges for Montenegrin citizens in Serbia has caused a stir after it was reported to have collected amost 14,000 signatures.

The petition calls on the Serbian education authorities to allow Montenegrins to attend state universities only as ordinary foreigners, which means they must pay to study.

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic underlined the importance of Montenegro's NATO membership for Croatia, at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Zagreb on Thursday.

"This is something that interests Croatia, bearing in mind that Montenegro is a neighboring state and security in this part of Europe and the region is an important matter for us," the PM stated.