EU recognizes legitimacy of Montenegro's referendum

The Austrian presidency of the European Union said Monday it recognized the legitimacy of Montenegro's weekend referendum in favour of independence and would accept the result.

Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said Sunday's referendum was "an important European signal after the tragic developments which the Balkans had to live through during the 1990s."

She said it showed "the people of the region have learned from the past and are now making their decisions about the future in a peaceful and democratic way."

"The European Union's view is that the vote will be recognized by all the political forces in the country and the region, as well as by the EU," she added in a statement.

The Austrian presidency was expected to issue a statement later Monday on the result.

Preliminary official results showed a narrow majority of 55.4 percent of Montenegrins voted in favour of a split from Serbia toward full independence.

In Podgorica, the European security body OSCE had earlier Monday hailed the conduct of the referendum as in line with democratic standards.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, meanwhile, said in Brussels: "We will fully respect the result of the referendum."