Montenegro To Hold Referendum On Independence

11 November 2004 -- The prime minister of Montenegro said today that his country will hold a referendum next year on independence from the union of Serbia and Montenegro.

Speaking in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, Milo Djukanovic said the referendum will be held "a year from now at the latest."

The two Balkan republics of Serbia and Montenegro formed a loose union under the auspices of the European Union following the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

But relations between Serbia and Montenegro have been difficult for years, with some Montenegrin officials seeking independence from Serbia.

(AP)