 Montenegro ended nearly a century of formal ties to Serbia on Monday after its people voted for independence in a referendum that closed the final chapter in the story of Yugoslavia. The world's newest independent state has a population of just 650,000, with a rugged coast and even more rugged mountains in a territory about the size of Northern Ireland. Tourism is its planned ticket to prosperity as it strikes out on its own. "I am convinced Montenegro could be the next country from this region to join the European Union, after Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia, which are further along the process," said Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, the architect of the independence drive for the past 10 years. Serbia reluctantly conceded that its little cousin on the Adriatic had opted to split, and the European Union quickly gave a seal of approval to a separation it had once tried to prevent, fearing further instability in Europe's most turbulent corner. Announcing the first official results, Montenegro's referendum commission said 55.4 percent of Sunday's referendum votes were in favor of independence, clearing the EU-required target of 55 percent for recognition. |