(6 Jun 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Guard of honour
2. People watching the ceremony
3. Defence Minister Zoran Stankovic inspecting guard of honour
4. Various of Serbian soldier taking down the old Serbia and Montenegro flag
5. Soldiers folding the flag
6. Flag being handed over to the Defence Minister
7. Officer carrying the new Serbian flag
8. Soldiers unwrapping the new flag
9. Various of the new flag being raised
10. Crowd applauding
11. SOUNDBITE: (Serbian) Zoran Stankovic, Serbian Defence Minister:
''We are gathered today, in a solemn way, to mark the lowering of the flag of Serbia and Montenegro and to mark the raising of the new Serbian flag.''
12. Close-up new flag
STORYLINE
Officials raised Serbia's flag at military headquarters in Belgrade on Tuesday, marking the Balkan republic's formal takeover of armed forces previously shared with tiny Montenegro.
Just days after erstwhile partner Montenegro proclaimed independence and abandoned its alliance with much-larger Serbia, Defence Minister Zoran Stankovic oversaw the ceremony where the flag of now defunct Serbia-Montenegro union was replaced with the red, blue and white Serbian flag adorned with an ancient Serb coat-of-arms.
The new flag went up as the military brass band played "Boze Pravde" ("God of Justice") - Serbia's original, pre-Communist era anthem, now made official again.
Serbia-Montenegro was the last shred of what was once the six-republic Yugoslav federation.
The two republics stayed together when four others seceded in 1991. But a pro-independence drive then also developed in Montenegro, culminating in a referendum last month where voters in the tiny Adriatic republic opted for sovereignty.
Under a separation provision, each republic keeps military facilities in its own territory, but hundreds - possibly thousands - of soldiers and officers will be relocated.
Later on Tuesday, Stankovic was to visit Montenegro to ensure a smooth transfer of "any number of officers" who would want to move to Serbia.
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