Montenegro

[Drusilla1S]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5003220.stm

The people of Montenegro have voted to become an independent nation, thus severing one of the last links that formed the old Yugoslavia. Does anybody suspect Serbia will view this as another attempt to undermine its authority in the area and do you think she will accept the decision gracefully?

Best wishes to the Montenegran people by the way.

[jake-the-peg]

OK that's it I've now officially fallen into an alternative universe.

First Finland win the Eurovision song contest, then I hear Gerry Adams proposes Ian Paisley as first Minister in the Northern Ireland assembly and finally a real news question in the News section.

I'm going to wake up in a minute

[jake-the-peg]

PS I don't think they'll be happy not least because it'll leave Serbia land locked but I don't think there in much of a position to do much about it.

I can't see Serbia picking a fight with the EU and probably the US

[jno]

I agree with jake, there may be drunken reprisals against any Montenegrins happening to live in Serbia but I wouldn't expect anything big to happen. Things may get stickier if the Kosovans ever get to make themselves independent. The Serbs are unlucky to be left without a coast - even Bosnia and Slovenia kept about 3' 6" of coastline each - but as their intransigence was responsible for much of the Yugoslav disaster, I can't feel a lot of sympathy for them.

[lightoftruth]

I expect montenegro will be giving serbia 12 points in next years eurovision though

[jno]

unlikely lightoftruth - they couldn't agree who was going to Eurovision this year, so as it ended up, neither sent a contestant, I believe. Expect them to vote for each other's enemies - Montenegrins might vote for Croatians, for instance.

[jump79]

The Montenegrans have always wanted to distance themselves from Serbia's history (of war crimes) so the voting results come as no surprise.

No country will easily give up any of its territory (or that under its control) and Serbia is no exception. It wil lose a major trade route so in the short run, there is likely to be some resentment and friction between the two.