Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica stopped short Thursday of explicitly recognizing Montenegro's independence vote, but acknowledged that Belgrade had no practical option other than to begin the legal process of dissolving the Serbia-Montenegro state union.
Kostunica said Serbia would assume full legal continuity and successor status to the joint union, inheriting its international standing and financial obligations. A formal declaration to that effect must still pass the Serbian parliament before Montenegro can seek international recognition.
The prime minister directed pointed criticism at the European Union, saying the bloc's referendum commission chairman, Frantisek Lipka, had certified the final results over objections from pro-union groups within Montenegro. He described the outcome as having been driven by EU rules and EU will.
The 21 May referendum produced a 55.5 percent vote for independence, against 44.5 percent for remaining tied to Serbia. The two republics had formed a loose, EU-brokered federation in 2003, with each side retaining the right to seek separation after three years. They were the last two former Yugoslav republics to have remained joined following the federation's collapse in the early 1990s.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.