Central National Committee (Chetniks)

The Central National Committee of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia,[1] also known by its Yugoslav abbreviation CNK (Serbo-Croatian: Централни национални комитет Краљевине Југославије, Centralni nacionalni komitet Kraljevine Jugoslavije),[2] was an advisory body of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (commonly known as the Chetniks) established during WWII in August 1941 by the group of political representatives of all prewar opposition parties.

[7] After some time, regional committees were established in Montenegro (Serbo-Croatian: Комитет црногорских националиста, Komitet crnogorskih nacionalista) and in Split.

[11] According to the decisions of the Ba Congress, the CNK was designated to acquire political responsibility and cooperate with Allies until liberation from Fascists and Communists and with the government of the coming Yugoslav Federation composed of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

On 21 February 1945, Pavle Đurišić organized a conference and the group decided to retreat to Slovenia until more a favourable political situation for their national cause was reached, inviting Mihailović and CNK to follow their conclusions.

[16] In the absence of a reply from Mihailović, on 1 March 1945 Đurišić organized a new conference of the "National Committee of Higher Military Commanders and Intellectuals from Montenegro, Boka and Old Ras" that reached the same conclusions.

[17] Some members of the CNK, including its president Dragiša Vasić, joined Đurišić and began their journey toward Slovenia, contrary to the decisions of Mihailović.