Montenegro Independence

A girl waves a Montenegrin flag from a car driving through Podgorica, May 22, 2006. Montenegro's state electoral commission confirmed the victory of a pro-independence bloc in a referendum to secede from Serbia and form a separate state and said that, according to near-complete results, 55.4 percent voted Sunday for Montenegro to become an independent state.

Pro-independence supporters wave Montenegrin flags in front of Motenegrin government office in Podgorica, Serbia-Montenegro, May 21, 2006, after an independent monitoring group said Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum.

Montenegrinsl ine up to enter a polling station to vote in downtown Podgorica, May 21, 2006. Montenegrins poured out in record numbers to vote on Sunday on whether to stay in their troubled union with Serbia or become independent.

Pro-independence supporters rejoice in Podgorica, Serbia-Montenegro, May 21, 2006, after an independent monitoring group said Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum. Serbia and Montenegro are the only republics of the former, six-state Yugoslav federation to have remained linked after the country's violent disintegration in the 1990s.

A woman is reflected in a shop window displaying the Montenegrin coat-of-arms and a portrait of the late King Petar Petrovic Njegos, in downtown Podgorica, May 19, 2006. On May 21, voters are to decide whether the Adriatic Sea republic should split from Serbia and mark a final, symbolic end to the former Yugoslavia, or remain within the troubled Balkan union.

Montenegrin president Filip Vujanovic speaks at a final pro-independence rally in Podgorica, May 18, 2006.

Montenegrins sing their national anthem during a final pro-independence rally in Podgorica, May 18, 2006.

Thousands of people attend a final pro-independence rally in Podgorica, May 18, 2006.

Boys buy old Montenegrin battle flags in Podgorica, Montenegro, May 18, 2006. On May 21 independence referendum voters are to decide whether the Adriatic Sea republic should split from Serbia and mark a final, symbolic end to the former Yugoslavia, or remain within the troubled Balkan union.

A man flashes an "L" sign of the Montenegrin pro-independence Liberal Party, and holds up a bottle of traditional grape brandy, in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, May 18, 2006.

A shop assistant stands in a shop doorway beside posters reading "Yes -- for the Montenegro you love," in favor of Montenegrin independence, in Podgorica, Montenegro, May 18, 2006.

A lineup of statues depicting Montenegro's king Nikola Petrovic I, in the historic Museum in Cetinje, the royal capital of Montenegro when it was an independent state between 1878 and 1918.

A woman walks past graffiti reading "SCG" (Serbia-Montenegro) in Podgorica, Montenegro, May 17, 2006.

Two elderly Montenegrins, supporters of union with Serbia, attend a final pro-union rally in Podgorica on May 16, 2006.

Supporters of union with Serbia wave flags as fireworks illuminate the sky during a final pro-union rally in Podgorica on May 16, 2006.

Supporters of union with Serbia wave flags during the final pro-union rally in Podgorica on May 16, 2006.

A supporter of union with Serbia waves an EU flag and displays stickers reading "Say NO" to Montenegrin independence during a pro-union rally in Niksic, some 35 miles northwest of Podgorica on May 15, 2006.

The sun sets over the Adriatic Sea near the mouth of the Bojana river in Ada Bojana, some 50 miles south of Podgorica on May 13, 2006. Montenegrins are deeply divided over whether the tiny Adriatic state of about 600,000 people would be better off in a union with Serbia or on its own.

A man displays a photo of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic before a pro-independence rally in Bijelo Polje, some 80 miles north of Podgorica on May 12, 2006.

Montenegrin boys attend a pro-independence rally in Bijelo Polje, some 80 miles north of Podgorica on May 12, 2006.