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.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
Country profiles
Violence greets Clinton visit
Russian forces pound Grozny
EU fraud: a billion dollar bill
Next steps for peace
Cardinal may face loan-shark charges
Vodafone takeover battle heats up
(From Business)
Trans-Turkish pipeline deal signed
French party seeks new leader
Jube tube debut
Athens riots for Clinton visit
UN envoy discusses Chechnya in Moscow
Solana new Western European Union chief
Moldova's PM-designate withdraws
Chechen government welcomes summit
In pictures: Clinton's violent welcome
Georgia protests over Russian 'attack'
UN chief: No Chechen 'catastrophe'
New arms control treaty for Europe
Mannesmann fights back
(From Business)
EU fraud -- a billion-dollar bill
New moves in Spain's terror scandal
EU allows labelling of British beef
UN seeks more security in Chechnya
Athens riots for Clinton visit
Russia's media war over Chechnya
Homeless suffer as quake toll rises
Analysis: East-West relations must shift