Montenegro says it's no longer Yugoslavia

The President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, has said that his republic no longer regards itself as part of Yugoslavia.

He said his country had embarked on the path of de-facto independence during the leadership of former Yugoslav president Slabodan Milosevic.

Mr Djukanovic, who was addressing the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin, has said that with full sovereignty on monetary, customs, foreign affairs and security policy, Montenegro is functioning as an independent state.

The governing parties in Montenegro are refusing to join the new Yugoslav government under President Vojislav Kostunica, although their Socialist opponents say they'll take part.Montenegro's pro-Western government has already agreed to hold a referendum by the end of next June.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service