Page "Serbia and Montenegro" Paragraph 2

The FRY was initially dominated from 1992 to 1997 by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević and his supporters.

Milošević installed and forced the removal of several Federal Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Federal Prime Minister Milan Panić became frustrated with Milošević's domineering behaviour during diplomatic talks in 1992, and told Milosevic to " shut up " because Milošević's position was officially subordinate to his position.

Milosevic later forced Panić to resign.

However this situation changed after 1997 when Milošević's last legal term as Serbian President ended and he became Federal President that year, in which Milošević entrenched the power of the Federal Presidency that he held.

By this time however, the influence of Slobodan Milošević was confined to Serbia only as Montenegro had experienced internal regime change in 1996 when former Milošević ally Milo Đukanović reversed his policies, showed resilience by becoming leader of his party and subsequently dismissing former Montenegrin leader Momir Bulatović, a man who remained loyal to Milošević.

As Bulatović was given central positions in Belgrade from that time ( as such national Prime Minister ), Đukanović continued to govern Montenegro and isolated his republic from Serbia so that from 1996 to 2006, Montenegro and Serbia were only nominally one country-governance at every feasible level was conducted locally ( Belgrade for Serbia and Podgorica for Montenegro ).