The commander of the Yugoslav Navy has rejected a call by the Director of the port of Bar in Montenegro that he remove all his ships to prevent a NATO attack.

Bar, which is on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro, is the main commercial and naval harbour in the Yugoslavian federation.

The port director, Petrasin Kasalica, asked the navy to leave on Monday after a gunboat in the port fired at a NATO plane.

The navy commander, Admiral Milan Zec said Mr Kasalica's letter was unacceptable, dangerous and an act against Yugoslavia.

Several hundred dockworkers staged a rally in Bar against the navy, saying they were concerned for their safety and their jobs. Montenegro, which is Serbia's partner in the Yugoslav Federation, has a moderate government that has opposed President Milosevic's policies in Kosovo.