Montenegro accused Serbia of meddling in its affairs Thursday in a dispute over a possible Montenegrin referendum on independence, opening a new war of words in the uneasy union. During a visit to Brussels, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica handed a list of Montenegrins residing in Serbia to the European Union's top diplomat, Javier Solana, saying those people should have a say in any independence vote, DPA reported. "It is 263,000 voters, which is an important fact if a referendum takes place," said Kostunica, who opposes independence for Montenegro. Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic immediately shot back that it won't let Belgrade tamper with its voter rolls. According to Montenegrin law, only the 450,000 voters residing in the republic are allowed to vote. Those living in Serbia, some for decades, would dramatically change the balance in Montenegro, where independence supporters may have a slight majority. Serbia and Montenegro remain in an uneasy, dysfunctional alliance that replaced what remained of the old communist Yugoslavia in 2003. The reform was brokered by Solana, with an agreement that neither republic may make moves toward independence until 2006.
