The Montenegrin major ruling party agreed on Monday to accept the proposal from the European Union about the Balkan republic's independence referendum.

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leadership accepted Brussels' proposal, although in question are "non-standardized recommendations unknown in practice," DPS spokesman Predrag Sekulic told the media in Podgorica.

The EU package, which was presented by EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak on Feb. 16, contains the proposal that the decision on the state status should be valid if it is backed by 55 percent of valid votes, that the referendum is held on May 14 and that only one question is asked.

Earlier on Monday, the EU foreign ministers voiced support to the EU package proposed by Lajcak on Montenegro's independence referendum.

Montenegro is a republic in the loose union of Serbia-Montenegro. Its ruling coalition has been advocating a referendum by late April this year to decide whether the republic splits from its much larger sister republic of Serbia.

The republic remains divided between pro-independence ruling coalition and pro-Serbian opposition. EU envoy Lajcak has been mediating between the two sides in a bid to reach consensus on referendum.

Sekulic said that his party welcomed the decision of the Montenegrin opposition to take part in the referendum process.

All four Montenegrin opposition parties, which urge a joint state with Serbia, have agreed to the EU proposal on the referendum.

The Montenegrin parliament will debate the referendum issue tomorrow.

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2006)