Belgrade, May 17, 2010

SERBIA – REGION

JEREMIC: FIRM AGREEMENT ON CONFERENCE IN SARAJEVO
BELGRADE, May 16 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has stated that a firm agreement has been reached that Pristina authorities be presented at the forthcoming conference in Sarajevo in accordance with the Resolution 1244 of the UN SC. Jeremic said that the opinion of the ICJ on the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence may be submitted to the UN General Assembly already during the summer. He stressed that Serbia will under no circumstances give up on its request that Kosovo cannot be presented as an independent state. When asked if he expects that, when ICJ gives its opinion, the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo will be reopened, Jeremic said that Serbia has always been in favor of finding a compromise solution through dialogue. "That is the only way to reach a sustainable solution which will enable peace, stability and speeding up of the EU integration process of the Western Balkans. I hope that, when the ICJ gives its opinion, everyone will understand that there is no alternative to that," he underscored. When asked if this could be interpreted as a defeat of the advocates of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, Jeremic said that "there must be no winners or losers" in this process.

MORATINOS: TURNING POINT IN REGION'S EU INTEGRATION
PRAGUE, May 17 - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and President of the EU Council Miguel Angel Moratinos has said that he expects the EU-Western Balkans conference, to be held in Sarajevo on June 2, will represent the turning point in the EU integration of this part of the Balkans. I can confirm that the Sarajevo conference has been well prepared, and agreement has been reached on the application of the Gimnih model - an informal ministerial meeting, Radio Free Europe quoted Moratinos' as saying. According to him, the organizers wish to host not only the 27 European states, but also Russia, the United States and Turkey, to jointly secure stability and prosperity for the entire region. The conference will represent the Spanish EU presidency's major contribution to the Western Balkans, and inspire everyone to move forward, showing respect for one another and the region as such, he said.

JANDROKOVIC: CROATIA WILL GIVE SERBIA EU LEGAL TRANSLATIONS
ZAGREB, May 14 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic and Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Goran Jandrokovic agreed in Zagreb that partnership relations between Croatia and Serbia are very important for the stability of the entire region of Southeast Europe. Croatia strongly supports Serbia's EU integration and it is ready to share its knowledge and experience from the pre-accession process, Jandrokovic said. He pointed out that the Croatian government has already given the translations of the EU legal regulations to the regional countries as a means of technical assisstance, and added that they will be given to Serbia as well. The ministers stressed that Djelic's visit to Zagreb, the forthcoming meeting of the Serbian and Croatian prime ministers and the talks between the presidents all prove that the relations between the two states have a positive trend. Jandrokovic said that Croatia is determined to reach a full EU membership, adding that the enlargement of the EU on the principles of individual accession and fulfillment of the set criteria are crucial for achieving long-term stability and security in Southeast Europe and the rest of the continent. The ministers also discussed the possibilities of improving economic and scientific cooperation, the significance of the Annual Meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development which is being held in Zagreb on May 14-15, as well as bilateral relations, the situation in Southeast Europe and regional cooperation.

CVETKOVIC: ONLY MUTUAL WITHDRAWAL OF LAWSUITS POSSIBLE
ZAGREB, May 14 (Tanjug) - Prime Minister Cvetkovic said in Zagreb that Serbia is ready to withdraw its counterlawsuit for genocide against Croatia only if Croatian authorities withdraw at the same time their lawsuit against Serbia before the ICJ. Agreement was reached to give priority in a near future to dialogue and seeking solutions, Cvetkovic said after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Kosor. Serbia is ready to withdraw its counterlawsuit if agreement is reached on withdrawal of Croatia's lawsuit at the same time without pre-conditions, he said. Kosor did not, however, answer directly the question whether Croatia is ready to withdraw its lawsuit for genocide against Serbia. Such a decision can be taken only by the Croatian government, which has not yet discussed this issuue, Kosor noted. It is important to build better relations and foster economic cooperation, she said. It is also important to take a stand on the crimes resulting from the policy of Milosevic and the harm this aggressive policy has caused to everyone in the region, Kosor said. The two prime ministers also agreed that fostering economic cooperation and accelerating the process of resolving open issues is in both countries' interest. They also discussed EU integration, cooperation in the search for missing persons, resolving the problem of refugees, accelerating the process of succession and resolving border disputes.

SERBIA AND CROATIA COMMITTED TO FIGHT AGAINST CRIME
ZAGREB, May 17 (Tanjug) - Justce ministers of Serbia and Croatia Snezana Malovic and Ivan Simonovic, respectively, evaluated in Zagreb that both countries are committed to the fight against organized crime and corruption which is a prerequisite for making progress in the process of Eu integrations. Malovic, who is in Croatia on a working visit, and Simonovic told a joint news conference that they had harmonized the text of an agreement on mutual extradition of individuals involved in organized crime and corruption. The agreement will be signed as soon as the Croatian Constitution is amended adequately. Simonovic underscored that they had also discussed Eu integrations and that Croatia fully supports Serbia on its path to the EU. The Serbian justice minister today signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the fight against corruption, with which Serbia had become a member of the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative.

DJUKANOVIC: OPPOSITION THROWN TOGETHER IN TADIC ADVISOR'S OFFICE
PODGORICA, May 17 (Tanjug) - Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic accused the Montenegrin opposition that it was "thrown together" in the office of an advisor to President Boris Tadic with the aim of bringing down the ruling DPS. At a campaign rally in Golubovci, Djukanovic said the objective of this opposition is not only to bring down DPS but also to re-open the issue of Montenegro's independence. "They are a coalition thrown together in the office of an advisor to the Serbian president and they want to bring down DPS. Even though they are not saying so now, their objective is to re-open the issue of Montenegro's independence," the Montenegrin prime minister said. He said that he does not trust the opposition because all of its efforts to date have been aimed against Montenegro's independence, the media reported. "That is why now, with instructions and funding from Belgrade and with the help of a Belgrade marketing agency, they are working to bring down Montenegro. We will now allow this," Djukanovic said.

SERBIAN PRESIDENT'S CABINET DENIES DJUKANOVIC'S ACCUSATIONS
BELGRADE, May 17 (Tanjug) - The Serbian president's cabinet denied the accusations of Montenegrin Prime Minister Djukanovic that the Montenegrin opposition was "thrown together" in the office of an advisor to Serbian President, with the aim of bringing down the ruling DPS. "That is a complete lie," the cabinet told. At a campaign rally Djukanovic stated that "the Montenegrin opposition was thrown together in the office of an advisor to the Serbian president, with the aim of trying to bring down DPS. Even though they do not admit it now, their aim is to re-open the issue of Montenegro's independence."

KOSOVO – METOHIJA

JEREMIC AT UNSC SESSION ON KIM: SITUATION WORSENED SINCE LAST REPORT
NEW YORK, May 17 (Tanjug) - The UN SC will discuss the situation in KiM and BiH at its session on Monday. In his last report in April, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern about the possible increase of tension in northern Kosovo and pointed out that the support to the UN Mission is crucial for regional stability. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic stated prior to his departure for New York, that the previous report was "analysed in full detail," adding that Serbia will point to all the oversights in the document. "Unfortunately, the situation in the field has rather worsened since the last report of the UN secretary general - primarily regarding the position of Serbs and other non-Albanian population in the province. We will set out all the details at the session. By all means, the discussion at the SC will be very tense, taking into account that this can easily be the last session before the ICJ gives its opinion," Jeremic said.

OFFICE: TADIC WILL NOT HEAD TALKS BETWEEN BELGRADE AND PRISTINA
BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - The office of the Serbian president denied the latest speculation from Pristina daily Express that Tadic and Taci will open technical negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. Express writes that Taci and the Serbian president will open a technical dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, which could be moderated by the U.S., EU and Russia. The Serbian president has not agreed to head talks on technical issues between Belgrade and Pristina, the president's office told Tanjug and stressed that Serbia wants to negotiate about the status of Kosovo. "Serbia also wants to discuss technical matters with Pristina, but such talks should not be headed by the president," the president's office said. The international plan is to open negotiations on the highest level and then continue them in working groups, writes the paper citing unnamed sources. Express writes that the Serbian president and the Kosovo prime minister agreed to head delegations after numerous consultations with international officials. Interim Kosovo government officials told the Pristina daily that they are willing to talk at any time and about all issues, except the political status and the territorial integrity of Kosovo. Pristina's only condition is to be represented at the same level as Belgrade.

SEJDIU DOES NOT RULE OUT TALKS WITH BELGRADE IN 2010
BERLIN, May 16 (Tanjug) - Kosovo interim President Fatmir Sejdiu stated for the German daily Der Tagesspiegel that Pristina is ready for talks with the Serbian authorities at any moment. We are ready to discuss the normalization of relations, but we will not negotiate on the status, Sejdiu said, not excluding the possibility that talks may begin already in 2010. Sejdiu also confirmed the interests of the Western countries for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Out of 192 UN member states, the illegal act of Pristina institutions was recognized by 68 countries.

PRISTINA TO TALK WITH BELGRADE AFTER ICJ'S OPINION
PRISTINA, May 17 (Tanjug) - The Kosovo authorities are not interested in starting technical talks with Belgrade before the ICJ gives its opinion on the accordance with international law of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Koha Ditore reports. Deputy Prime Minister of the Kosovo interim government Kuci stated that the idea of talks between Pristina and Belgrade is prepared on international and regional levels, adding that the time and the form of the talks are still unspecified. Any talks before the fate of the missing persons is revealed and before Serbia returns Kosovo's documentation would be absurd. The fate of the missing persons is of considerable significance, which does not require talks, but only honesty and interest of the Serbian government for this issue to be resolved, Kuci said. The paper reiterates that all international diplomats who have visited Kosovo in the past several months stressed that Pristina must talk with Serbia, adding that the Kosovo institutions have not yet developed a strategy on how to enter the talks, nor the subjects that are interesting for Pristina. Jeremic said that the ICJ's advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence may be submitted to the UN GenAss already during the summer. The Pristina authorities expect this Court to state its opinion in June.

SPECIAL EU REPRES.: MONUMENTS OF SPC HERITAGE BELONG TO EVERYBODY
BELGRADE, May 16 (Tanjug) - Special EU Representative for the preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) Dimitris Moshopoulos has stated that the protection of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and its heritage in KiM is in the interest of the entire humanity, as these monuments belong to everybody. The protection of the SPC and its heritage in Kosovo is not only in the interest of SPC, but rather in the interest of the entire humankind, as these monuments belong to the humankind and we are all richer for their existence, he said for Politika. He stressed that he is impressed with the art he has seen in Serbian religious monuments. When asked to comment on recent attempts of Albanian historians to present the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo as Albanian, he said that protection and enforcement of SPC's rights are guaranteed by Kosovo laws.

SERBIA – EU

CROATIA PRESENTS TO SERBIA TRANSLATION OF EU DOCUMENTS
ZAGREB, May 14 (Tanjug) - Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor presented to Serbian Prime Minister Cvetkovic the translation of the complete body of EU legislation called acquis communautaire. Translating the EU legislation had cost Croatia about EUR eight million, and by presenting it to Serbia, Zagreb clearly demonstrates its wish to foster cooperation with Belgrade, Kosor said. This act should guarantee good cooperation and friendship between the two countries, she said. Croatia will strongly support all region's countries in the process of their integration in the EU, and will intensify its support further when it becomes the 28 EU member-state, Kosor emphasized. Cvetkovic said Serbia is pleased to see Croatia approaching the end of the European integration process, and expressed hope that Serbia will benefit from Croatia's experience and support. All problems have not been resolved yet, but Serbia and Croatia are looking to the future and cooperation and are willing to resolve all problems constructively in mutual interest, Cvetkovic said. The acquis communautaire has about 100,000 pages and is divided into into 35 chapters. The aim of pre-accession negotiations is to help candidate countries harmonize their legislation with EU laws before they can join the EU. The meeting between Cvetkovic and Kosor was attended also by Deputy Prime Minister Djelic and Director of the EU Integration Office at the Serbian government Delevic.

LJAJIC: BRAMMERTZ'S REPORT WILL BE POSITIVE
BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - President of the National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY Rasim Ljajic said that the report of Serge Brammertz on Serbia's cooperation will be positive. Brammertz will certainly not use the term full cooperation because Mladic has not yet been extradited to ICTY, but he will certainly point to the professional endeavors of the relevant services which are doing everything to find and arrest the two remaining indictees, Ljajic told B92 TV. Ljajic expressed his conviction that Mladic will be arrested, but did not wish to guess dates or deadlines which are completely unpredictable.

GREECE STRONGLY SUPPORTS SERBIA'S EU INTEGRATION
ATHENS, May 15 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Dacic stated, after the meeting with Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, that Greece strongly supports Serbia's EU integration, as well as the preservation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty regarding Kosovo-Metohija. Dacic pointed out that, in the economic sphere, Greek companies may be the biggest investors in Serbia, but the trade volume between the two countries is relatively small compared to the level of Greek investments in Serbia. He stressed that 350,000 Serbian citizens spent their vacations in Greece in 2009, and added that the Greek government may have contributed the most to the abolition of Serbia's visa regime.

DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE CRUCIAL FOR FURTHER EU INTEGRATION
PRAGUE, May 17 (Tanjug) - The European officials agree in the assessment that the reforms carried out in the countries that tend to join the EU will be crucial for their further EU integration and they believe that the debt crisis that hit Greece could affect further EU enlargement. In an interview for the Radio Free Europe, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fuele stated that he does not believe that any external factors, including the current financial crisis in the EU, can postpone the enlargement process. According to him, domestic reforms are crucial for the pace of the EU integration. It is obvious that, taking into account the historical burden of the Western Balkan countries, Brussels believes it is necessary that the countries should not only adopt and accept the required standards, but also apply them in practice, Fuele underscored, adding that he does not believe anyone would want to change the rules of the game in respect of further enlargement. However, the assessment criteria for the progress of the Balkan countries may become stricter, that is the conditions that they need to fulfill, Fuele said.

TERRAL HOPES SERBIA WILL BECOME EU MEMBER IN THREE YEARS
SVILAJNAC, May 15 (Tanjug) - French Ambassador to Serbia Jean Francois Terral stated in Svilajnac, where he opened a collection of autographs within the cultural manifestation Museum night, that he hopes that Serbia will become a EU member in three years. Terral said that France will help Serbia become a EU member as soon as possible and expressed hope that this will happen in three years, that is by the end of his diplomatic service in Serbia. He opened a collection of autographs of Jovica and Vera Vuckovic, some of which are as old as 400 years. This is a collection of very rare and valuable documents with autographs of world prominent figures from the area of politics, culture, science, etc., with a particular stress on the French Revolution and French kings.
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AGRARIAN POLICY GATEWAY TO EU
BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - Serbia leads a socially responsible agrarian policy aimed at rapid agricultural development, in order that the country's agriculture becomes integrated into the EU in the shortest possible time, Minister of Agriculture Sasa Dragin said. He stressed that in forming the policy, which is clearly aimed at European integration, a special attention is paid to the marginal and underdeveloped regions of the country. "The current situation in the world economy challenges us to keep up with new knowledge and technology and to invest a lot of energy into quick and efficient adoption of production standards which will enable Serbian farmers to enter new markets and make better earnings," Dragin said a ministerial conference on the reform of the EU common agricultural policy. He pointed out that in the last year and a half, the Serbian parliament has passed 31 laws and more than a hundred by-laws related to agriculture, regulating thus the most demanding field of legislation and making it recognizable to Serbia's European friends. Dragin pointed out that as much as 60 percent of the legislation that Serbia should harmonize with the EU is related to agriculture, and added that the legislative package related to food safety is especially important for Serbia. "We have shown a high degree of commitment to introduce the country into the European family as soon as we can," Dragin said.

SERBIA

TADIC SAYS DECENTRALIZATION MUST IMPROVE COUNTRY'S UNITY
BELGRADE, May 16 (Beta) - President Boris Tadic said that decentralization and regionalization would have to strengthen the unity of the country and enable the better functioning of the state administration. "The concept of regionalization is not the creation of a quasistate on the territory of Serbia, but better conditions for the functioning of the state system," Tadic told an inaugural assembly of the Union of National, Regional and Local Parties in Belgrade's Sava Centar. The Serbian president added that regionalization was a precondition for the country's economic development, and that Serbia needed to find a unique regionalization model, as there was no single formula in the EU for that. Tadic also warned that people were leaving certain areas of the country en masse. "We are facing the problem of depopulation," he said, adding that decentralization and regionalization were necessary precisely because of that. He added that the natural preconditions for decentralization and regionalization needed to be created, i.e. conditions that would enable the country's different regions to better hook with its center. The gathering was attended by representatives of the ruling bloc, together with representatives of the parties that will participate in the union.

DACIC: SERBIA-GREECE COOPERATION SHOULD BE IMPROVED
ATHENS, BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said in Athens that Serbia wishes to improve on its good government and economic cooperation with Greece, keeping in mind the historical relations between the two countries and Greece's great importance for the entire southeastern Europe. Dacic spoke at a Greek-Serbian business meeting, which was attended by more than 40 representatives of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, where he stated that the two countries should focus on strategical issues, like joint energy or infrastructure projects. The minister said that a stable situation in the region and good relations with all neighbours are crucial for Serbia, according to an announcement by the Interior Ministry. According to him, Serbia wants to solve all issues through dialogue and in the spirit of mutual understanding. The Athens meeting was also attended by Srbijagas General Director Dusan Bajatovic, who said that there is private capital in Greece ready to be invested in Serbia. "On the other hand, existing investments should be preserved, especially in the banking sector," said Bajatovic. Dacic will be in Greece until May 16.

SERBIA – ECONOMY

TADIC: SERBIA IS READY TO INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION
BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - President Tadic said that Serbia will continue investing in food production and will thus contribute to food safety and security in the region and beyond. At the opening of the international conference dubbed 'Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy - the challenges of accession and cooperation,' Tadic pointed out that Serbia is currently exporting foods worth USD two billion, and added that he expects the exports to reach a value of USD five billion in the future. The president said that Serbia could thus contribute to solving global problems of lack of food. "Serbia will continue investing in food production, just as it has doubled food production in recent decades. We can become significant producers in the years to come," he said. According to him, Serbia has shown a willingness to increase food production despite the recession. Tadic said that today Serbia is fighting organized crime and exploring new energy resources and thus greatly contributing to overall European security. He recalled that Serbia is a country that wants to become an EU member and that this is its most important strategic goal. "We think that our European partners can count on us as a significant factor of safety and security when it comes to food production," Tadic said. The conference, held at the House of the National Assembly, besides Serbian participants, is also attended by representatives from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Portugal and Slovakia.

TADIC IN THE VILLAGE OF LAZAC, NEAR KRALJEVO
KRALJEVO, May 17 (Tanjug) - President Tadic stated that Serbia has great potential to develop agriculture and that the country's export of agricultural products could be doubled in the coming years. During his visit to the household of one Milan Milenkovic in the village of Lazac, near Kraljevo, Tadic said that investment in the most profitable agricultural branches, one of which being dairy farming, is the prerequisite for the development of agriculture. The president evaluated that Milenkovic's cow farm and dairy plant show that it is possible to remain in rural areas and develop a modern business on one's own farm with the help of the state. Tadic also said that the economic crisis had also affected the country's agriculture, as well as all other branches of economy, but he sent out a message that the Serbian economy is recovering and that it will return to the high growth rate from the pre-crisis period as soon as 2012 and 2013.

CVETKOVIC: CRISIS IN SERBIA STATISTICALLY AND FORMALLY OVER
BELGRADE, May 17 (Tanjug) - Prime Minister Cvetkovic said that the crisis in Serbia is statistically and formally over with the GDP going up one percent in the first quarter of 2010, but that this has still not manifested in the standard of living. Giving a lecture at the National Defense School, Cvetkovic pointed out that the real economic recovery in Serbia will come when the economy grows by a more sizable margin and the unemployment rate stops rising. He said that a high unemployment rate remains among the country's biggest problems, despite the fact that its growth has slowed. He reminded that the Serbian economy is forecast to gain two percent in 2010, while economic expansion should reach three to 3.5 percent in 2011. "After that, the Serbian economy is expected to grow at the annual rate of five to six percent, which would be a very good rate," Cvetkovic pointed out.

DACIC: GREEK BANKS WILL NOT WITHDRAW FUNDS FROM SERBIA
ATHENS, BELGRADE, May 14 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said that at the Serbian-Greek business forum held in Athens Greek banks made clear they had no intention of withdrawing their funds from the Serbian market. "Greek companies are now possibly even more interested in investing in the Serbian market, since there is an economic crisis of sorts in the Greek market," Dacic said. He said that Greek companies are interested in investing their liquid assets into foreign markets, the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement. "There is major and serious commitment to continuing our business cooperation," he said according to the statement. Dacic added that "despite the fact that Greek companies are among Serbia's biggest investors, the volume of our foreign exchange does not match the volume of investments." "There is a lot of room to continue our business cooperation," he said, adding that the Serbian government can guarantee both personal safety and safety of assets to foreign investors.