BRUSSELS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission will propose a separate mandate for pre-accession negotiations with Montenegro after Montenegrins voted for independence.

    "The European perspective is open to Montenegro -- as it is to Serbia once it fulfills the various criteria," said European Union(EU) Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Tuesday.

    The EU has engaged the state union of Serbia and Montenegro in Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiations, a process designed for western Balkan states before formal accession talks.

    SAA talks with the state union were recently suspended after Serbia was accused of failing to arrest and transfer Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

    The commission, the executive body of the EU, will also propose a modified SAA mandate for Serbia, as successor of the state union, he said in a statement.

    "The proposals will consolidate the (negotiation) results obtained, and be the basis on which negotiations continue," said Rehn.

    The commissioner said he was happy with the organization of thereferendum and called on all sides to respect the results.

    "I now expect Belgrade and Podgorica to engage in direct talks on the practical implementation of the results."

    A separate statement by Austria, which holds the EU presidency, said the EU welcomed the referendum and respects the results.

    "The conduct of the referendum was a sign of maturity of the political forces and people of Montenegro," it said.

    "For its part, it (the EU) will fully respect the decision of the people of Montenegro."

    The EU also asked all sides concerned to accept the results and asked Serbia and Montenegro to start a direct dialogue on the way ahead.

    "The European Union reconfirms the European perspective of the western Balkans on the basis of the Stabilization and Association Process," it said. Enditem