EU envoy visits Belgrade

An EU envoy who oversaw Montenegro's independence referendum was visiting Tuesday with Serbia's top officials, in the aftermath of the historic vote to dissolve the Balkan country.

Miroslav Lajcak was likely seeking reassurance that Serbia's leaders acknowledged the result of Sunday's plebiscite in Montenegro, where voters chose to separate their tiny republic from much-larger Serbia.

Serbia's President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica had urged Montenegrins not to secede, but pledged to accept any outcome of the vote.

They declined Monday to comment on the referendum's preliminary results, but on Tuesday Montenegro's election authorities confirmed that 55.5 percent of voters in the tiny republic had chosen independence.

Lajcak met Tuesday morning with Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic.

The pro-Serbia faction in Montenegro, which has close ties with Belgrade's leadership, already has challenged the referendum result, demanding a recount and citing unspecified irregularities. The EU, the U.S. and a foreign monitors have said the vote was free and fair, reports the AP.

I.L.

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