SERBIA awaited the proclamation of Montenegro's independence today with gloom after seeing its hopes of preserving their union dashed.The Montenegrin parliament was due to proclaim independence on Saturday evening for the tiny mountainous state, ending political ties with its larger neighbour going back nearly 90 years.
As rain fell on the city which was soon to see its status reduced from the capital of a federation to that of a single country, Belgrade's newspapers appeared reluctant to highlight the event. While the daily Danas put the development on its front page, the two principal titles, the pro-government Politika and Vecernje Novosti, carried only short reports on inside pages.
They highlighted the fact that the pro-Montenegrin opposition planned to boycott the historic parliamentary session in Podgorica.
Despite a number of invitations, none of Serbia's top officials confirmed they were going to Montenegro's capital.
Serbia's President Boris Tadic, who has taken the referendum result with good grace, visiting Montenegro since and offering his congratulations, would probably not attend the ceremony, sources in his cabinet said.
Nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who was reluctant to accept the result and has said Serbia had better things to do than to congratulate Montenegro or rush to establish diplomatic ties, was also expected to stay away.
Belgrade's best efforts failed to prevent a 55.5 percent majority of Montenegrins voting to break away from Serbia in the May 21 referendum.
Mr Kostunica did not hide his disappointment with the outcome, refusing in an emotional and rare appearance before the press on Thursday openly to say if he recognized the independence of Montenegro.
Instead, he said the European Union was responsible for both the rules and results of the referendum."The Serbian Government has no choice but to announce that Serbia is taking over legal continuity and becoming the successor of the state union of Serbia-Montenegro," Mr Kostunica said.
EU officials have urged the Serbian Government to open talks as soon as possible with their counterparts in Podgorica on a "velvet divorce".
But Mr Kostunica said there would be "no dissolution. No separation. This is not a case like the Czech and Slovak republics" which agreed to become separate entities from the former Czechoslovakia in 1992.
"There is no velvet divorce. It is a different case here, Serbia is a successor," Mr Kostunica said.
He rejected EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana's offer in talks on Friday for European Union help in divorce talks with Podgorica, saying it was "absolutely not necessary."
