Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Montenegro

Montenegro Leader Expects Move Toward EU, NATO

Milo Djukanovic speaking to journalists on May 22 in Podgorica (epa)

May 23, 2006 -- Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic says Montenegro is ready to move toward membership in the European Union and NATO after citizens of the tiny territory voted to secede from Serbia and form a separate country.

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May 23, 2006

"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," Djukanovic said.

The complete final vote count of the May 21 independence referendum is due to be released today.

Preliminary official results say that 55.4 percent of voters said "yes" to independence for the Adriatic republic of some 620,000 people -- just more than the 55 percent needed to approve the referendum under rules set by the European Union.

Parties that want to continue the union with Serbia have demanded a recount of the ballots.

International observers said the vote appeared to be transparent and without fraud or irregularities, and the EU has pledged to respect the result.

(compiled from agency reports)

EU Expands Eastward

To view RFE/RL's archive of coverage related to EU expansion, click here .

"The main impression...after being 15 minutes in her presence is that she is not frightened," a colleague says of Natasa Kandic (above).

The Truth-Teller: Natasa Kandic, Urging Serbs To Face The Past

More than a decade has passed since the end of the Balkan wars, where international observers say ethnic Serb fighters were responsible for the bulk of atrocities in the region, particularly Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. But despite the handover of major war-crimes suspects like Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, Belgrade remains reluctant to face the sins of the past. Lawyer Natasa Kandic has built an unpopular and often dangerous career out of pushing her country to face the truth about its history. More

Zoran Laketa lost his father and brother in the war

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, One Family, Three Armies, And A Lost Generation

Zoran Laketa knows what it's like to fire a gun and wonder if the soldier on the other side of the front line just might be his brother. Or his father. More

Angelina Jolie at the premiere of "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in Los Angeles in December

Jolie Earns Serbian Scorn For War Film

She’s known internationally as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses; she’s won praise from governments and NGOs across the globe for her work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations; and she’s often reckoned to be the world’s most beautiful woman. But Angelina Jolie has been going by a few other titles lately in the Balkans nation of Serbia, where prominent media outlets have taken to describing her as an American propagandist and all-around "jerk." More