Republic's poll win 'road to statehood'

Bolstered by a weekend election triumph, Montenegro's pro-independence movement said yesterday it will pursue its goal of independence for the tiny Yugoslav republic. "Our victory is based on a clear sentiment among Montenegrins that we must have our statehood," Igor Luksic, a senior aide to the Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, said.

The victory of Mr Djukanovic's coalition in Sunday's parliamentary elections brings into question the future of the crumbling Yugoslav federation, which also includes much-larger Serbia.

The republics had tentatively agreed to form a loose union called Serbia and Montenegro, but European Union-sponsored talks have stalled, and Mr Djukanovic is likely to re-enter the negotiations with tougher demands for the 600,000 Montenegrins.

Unofficial results of Sunday's vote show Mr Djukanovic won 39 seats in the 75-member assembly, beating a pro-Yugoslav camp led by allies of the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, who won 30 seats. EU officials have mediated between Belgrade and Mr Djukanovic for months, urging the two sides to speed the forming of the union and avert the final breakup of the troubled federation.