Belgrade, May 21, 2010

SERBIA – CYPRUS

TADIC MEETS WITH CHRISTOFIAS
NICOSIA, May 20 (Tanjug) - President Tadic met with Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias in Nicosia at the start of a two-day visit to that country. After a ceremonial welcome in front of the Presidential Palace in the presence of the honor guard and intonation of anthems, the presidents began their meeting. Upon the meeting's conclusion, the presidents will sign bilateral agreements and address news reporters. Tadic is scheduled to meet later the same day with Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II. On the second day of his visit to the Republic of Cyprus, Tadic will, together with Christofias, open a Cypriot-Serbian business forum, in which businessmen from both countries will take part. Tadic visited Cyprus previously in March 2006. Cyprus is one of the five member states of the EU which have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and Nicosia strongly supports Serbia on its path towards the EU. During their last meeting in February 2009, Tadic and Christofias agreed that Serbia should become an EU member and that nobody should ask from Serbia as a condition for Eu integration to recognize the illegal act of the interim institutions in Pristina. Cristofias said that his country has not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and that it will continue with such a policy both within the EU and a wider international arena. President of Cyprus said on that occasion that the EU should respect the Helsinki Final Act, international law and the Charter of the UN. According to the then assessment of the two presidents, bilateral relations were excellent.

TADIC & CHRISTOFIAS: EXCELLENT RELATIONS, MUTUAL SUPPORT
NICOSIA, May 20 (Tanjug) - President Tadic and Cypriot President Christofias emphasized that the two countries have excellent relations and offer each other support to preserving their territorial integrity. At a joint press conference after meeting Tadic, Christofias said that Cyprus supports Serbia and all Western Balkan countries on their path towards integration in the EU. The integration of these countries in the EU would contribute to the stabilization of the situation and relations in the region, he said. Tadic said that the good bilateral relations are traditional, dating back from a very difficult time for Serbia. He expressed gratitude to Cyprus for its support to Serbia in the process of EU integration and to its defense of its territorial integrity in Kosovo. Cyprus is one of the five member states of the EU which have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. The two presidents, however, emphasized that much more must be done to foster economic cooperation, as bilateral trade totalled only EUR 15 million last year.

TADIC CONFERS WITH CYPRIOT PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
NICOSIA, May 21 (Tanjug) - President Tadic conferred with the Cypriot Parliament Speaker Marios Caroyan in Nicosia. A warm welcome ceremony was organised for the Serbian president in front of the Cypriot Parliament building. After the meeting, Tadic and his Cypriot counterpart Dimitris Christofias will open a Cypriot-Serbian business forum dubbed 'Perspectives of economic cooperation between Cyprus and Serbia.'

SERBIA – REGION

JEREMIC: MEETING FORMAT HARMONIZED WITH SERBIA'S REQUESTS
BELGRADE, May 21 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic stated that the format of the upcoming EU-Western Balkans meeting, scheduled to be held in Sarajevo, will be in keeping with Serbia's requests. "The provisional institutions in Pristina will be represented in keeping with Resolution 1244, in the presence of UNMIK, as has been the case in all previous meetings,"Jeremic told after his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali Moctar Ouane. Confirming that Serbia had received an official invitation to take part in the conference, Jeremic expressed hope that all region representatives, including those of the Pristina provisional authorities, will attend the meeting. Jeremic said that he expects conclusions to be an incentive to the region's Eu integrations.

DJELIC ON SERBIA'S PARTICIPATION IN SARAJEVO CONFERENCE
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic stated that he has no information on whether Serbia has officially confirmed its participation in the EU - Western Balkans conference in Sarajevo on June 2, adding that he does not expect any problems regarding Serbia's attendance, as a formula has been found for the participation of all interested parties in the event. According to Djelic, what is important is that a formula has been found for the participation in the Sarajevo conference. However, when it comes to Serbia, there are two crucial issues that have to be observed - Serbia's state policy on KiM and the country's committment to regional cooperation. Addressing the participants of the final Conference of the Municipal Support Programme North-Eastern Serbia, Djelic said one should have realistic expectations from the conference in Sarajevo, and voiced belief that support for further EU enlargement will be given at the gathering. "I expect that the conference will confirm the European future of the Western Balkans as a whole," Djelic stressed, and expressed hope that the conference will launch a dialogue for projects within the European Commission's growth strategy Europe 2020.

LELLOUCHE ANNOUNCES POSITIVE SIGNALS TO SERBIA,BIH & MACEDONIA
VIENNA, May 21 (Tanjug) - French Secretary of State for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche announced in Vienna that the EU soon intends to give positive signals to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), Macedonia and Serbia, adding that the Western Balkan region needs to have a lot of patience. EU will soon give positive signals to BiH, Macedonia and Serbia, Lellouche told the journalists and stressed these countries' European perspective is an important instrument of stability which is to bring peace and improve economy. When it comes to Croatia, he said that this country is on the right path, and as for the dispute between Skopje and Athens over Macedonia's name, this is a trivial issue, he underscored.

BALKAN REGION TO JOIN EU BY 2020
FRANKFURT, May 21 (Tanjug) - The process of accession of the Balkan region in the EU is a slow one, but it should be completed in 10 years, Austrian member of the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda has evaluated. For Frankfurt-based Vesti, Swoboda, EP rapporteur for Croatia, evaluated that the economic crisis will not change things dramatically, because the process of Eu integration of new members is a rather slow process in principle. "By the year 2020, all Balkan countries should be in the EU. This means in 10 years. You may say it is either slow or fast, but it is a reasonable calendar for the accession in the EU. The enlargement process in the Balkans is slow in any case. Croatia should join the EU in 2012 and talks are under way. This is not the case with other region countries. Macedonia might be the next country to get accepted," said Swoboda. Swoboda said to a journalist's conclusion that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said that he is concerned over the growing tension in Kosovo, which is an important issue in the context of Serbia's Eu integration, that he believes that the situation in Kosovo is a delicate one. "We may not ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence for as long as there are some EU member states that have yet to do it. Why would we ask a new member state to recognize Kosovo if all EU member states have not done it yet? It will be different if the already existing Union member states do it one day. Since this is not the case now, it is enough for the time being that Serbia admits that the majority of the EU states had recognized Kosovo and that the issue of border changes may not be raised. This is not a permanent situation, but it is what it is now and things should be accepted as they are," said Swoboda.

SERBIA

JEREMIC MEETS WITH NIGERIAN COUNTERPART UHOMOIBHI
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic met in Belgrade with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi. At the meeting, the two colleagues noted with satisfaction the readiness for improvement of friendly relations between the two countries and stressed the need for intensifying cooperation in the fields of industry and economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Minister Jeremic thanked Nigeria for the support which the country, as a member of the UN SC and one of the most influential states of the African continent, continuously gives to Serbia in its diplomatic fight for the preservation of territorial integrity.

JEREMIC & TITOV DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS & KOSOVO
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic conferred with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov on bilateral relations and Kosovo-Metohija issue. They agreed that bilateral relations are very good and that the two countries are ready to foster them further, the Foreign Ministry said. The two countries share the same views on the problem of K-M status, Jeremic and Titov said, expressing readiness to continue coordinating joint activities in that regard.They also agreed on fostering economic cooperation.

SERBIA AND BULGARIA SIGN POLICE COOPERATION AGREEMENT
SOFIA, May 20 (Tanjug) - Interior ministers of Serbia and Bulgaria, Ivica Dacic and Tzvetan Tzvetanov, signed a police cooperation agreement in Sofia. The agreement was signed during the Third Meeting of the Committee of Ministers held by the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe. According to some earlier reports from Sofia, the agreement is a follow-up to a 2003 memorandum between the two countries, introducing modern forms of police cooperation. Tzvetanov said that he and Dacic discussed a possibility of allowing EU citizens to cross the Serbian border with just personal ID cards. Dacic stated he expects all friendly countries, including Bulgaria, to share their experience in EU integration with Serbia. The Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe was signed in Vienna in May 2006.

HOMEN: EXTRADITION TREATY TO BE SIGNED WITHIN FEW MONTHS
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) -State Secretary with the Justice Ministry Slobodan Homen stated that he expects a new extradition treaty with the U.S. will be signed within the next few months, and added that the first person to be extradited to Serbia according to this document could be the Nazi war criminal Peter Egner. In a statement Homen reminded that the treaty on extradition signed by the U.S. and the Kingdom of Serbia in 1901 is still in force and that the new document will be a continuation of cooperation between the two countries' judicial bodies. According to Homen, the extradition treaty is aimed at fighting organized crime and narco cartels, since Serbian mafia has become a true international criminal group whose members are citizens of a number of countries. Homen recalled that Egner is charged with committing genocide and war crimes against civilians in Belgrade while a member of the Gestapo during WWII, and with being involved in the murder of several thousand Serbs, Jews and Roma. "The main obstacle to his extradition was the fact that he is a U.S. citizen, but the new treaty will enable his prosecution before Serbian courts," Homen said. He pointed out that the U.S. willingness to extradite its citizens to Serbia shows that the two countries have "exceptionally good relations" in the fight against organized crime, and that the U.S has "great confidence in the Serbian judicial system." Emphasizing that it is not enough to arrest criminals, and that they need to be prosecuted and sentenced as well, Homen noted that presently, the U.S. does not require extradition of any Serbian citizen.

US INCREASED VISA VALIDITY FOR SERBIAN TRAVELERS
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - The United States Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick announced that effective immediately, the validity of visas for Serbian citizens in the business and tourist categories would be increased from three years to ten years. This means that once a traveler from Serbia is issued a visa, it will be valid for multiple entries and only needs to be renewed every ten years. According to Warlick the increase in validity "is a sign of real progress in our relations. It is my hope that with these ten-year multiple-entry visas more Serbian firms will soon be doing business with American companies and more Serbian tourists will include the United States in their travel plans." "This decision is a tangible demonstration of our belief in the promising future of relations between our two nations and I am truly delighted to be able to share this good news with all of you today," continued Warlick. Serbian citizens who currently hold valid visas may continue to use them. When applicants come to the Embassy to renew their visas, they will be granted visas with a ten-year validity, provided they qualify. The increased validity will not result in different criteria for approval of visa applications. Any applicant who would have been qualified to receive a three-year visa will be qualified to receive a ten-year visa, she said quoted by a release of the US embassy.

OSCE CALLS FOR PARTICIPATION IN MINORITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS
NOVI SAD, May 20 (Tanjug) - Dimitrios Kypreos, head of Mission to Serbia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), met with Speaker of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Assembly Sandor Egeresi and stated afterwards that it is important for the ethnic minorities in Serbia to take part in the coming elections for the national councils of ethnic minorities, because the poll will decide the future of each voter. "We have agreed that the law on minority councils is one of Serbia's most European-like laws, and that it strengthens the position and protects the identity of ethnic minorities," Egeresi noted after the meeting. Kypreos commended the Hungarian ethnic community in Serbia for their activities in adopting the law and regarding the elections, which will be held June 6. Egeresi stated during the meeting that it is very important for Vojvodina to have its own representatives in Brussels soon, adding that they would lobby for the economic interest of the province and entire Serbia. Kypreos described the existing representative offices of the German regions of Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg as positive examples of that, adding that to set up an office for Vojvodina would be in the spirit of the EU, which advocates both political unity and cultural diversity.

BORISSOV: JOINT PROJECTS LEAD TO PROSPERITY OF ALL
SOFIA, May 21 (Tanjug) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at the opening of the 3rd ministerial meeting of the Committee of Signatory-Countries of the Police Cooperation Convention for South-East Europe that the Balkan countries should work on joint projects aimed at obtaining prosperity for all. "We should work towards obtaining prosperity at joint infrastructural projects, such as construction of roads, railways, transport corridors, but also on border removal. This is what our peoples want," said Borissov at the meeting, which is also attended by Serbian Interior Minister Dacic. Borissov expressed his satisfaction with a report which shows that the relations among the interior ministers of Bulgaria and other Southeast European countries are excellent, as well as the information exchange. Beside Bulgarian Interior Minister Cvetanov, security ministers of BiH, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania & Serbia are attending the meeting.

SERBIA – EU

SERBIA & SWEDEN TO FOSTER COOPERATION
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Justice Minister Snezana Malovic conferred with Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage on fostering bilateral cooperation and Sweden's support to Serbia's EU integration. The talks were very constructive and focused on a series of reforms underway in Serbia, especially that of the judiciary sector, Malovic said. She added that the Swedish officials assured her that their country will continue to support the reform processes in Serbia which are crucial for the process of its EU integration.The talks also focused on ways of fostering bilateral cooperation, particularly as regards EU integration, and fighting corruption and organized crime, she said.

FUELE: CANDIDATES MUST FIRST BE READY FOR EU
BELGRADE, May 21 (Beta) - EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has stated that all candidate countries that want to join the EU must first be prepared for accession, and that justice reform and fighting corruption are the first obstacles to overcome in the process. For daily Blic, Fuele said one of the lessons the EU had learned was that candidates must begin to deal with areas difficult for reform in the earliest stages of preparations. When asked if Kosovo's recognition was one of the conditions for Serbia to join, he replied the EU's position that it would not change the rules in the middle of the game was well known, adding that all conditions held for all candidate countries. He stated that the process of solving Kosovo's status and the European integration of Serbia were two parallel processes, going on to say that it went without saying that any country that wishes to be in the EU must demonstrate good relations with its neighbors, rooted in cooperation, tolerance and mutual understanding. In response to the question whether Serbia was implementing reforms rapidly enough and which points were critical, Fuele said the EC would prepare an opinion on Serbia's submission for membership as soon as EU member states ask for it. It will be a fair and objective report, reviewing both noted progress and areas where more needs to be done.

NATO MEMBERSHIP NOT REQUIRED FOR EU INTEGRATION
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Deputy Chairman of the Parliament Committee for Defence and Security Dusan Bajatovic has said that NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning Jiri Sedivy stated during their meeting in Belgrade that NATO membership is not a requirement for Serbia's Eu integration. Bajatovic also noted that the committee delegation warned the NATO representative that the ICJ opinion on the legality of Kosovo's independence, if it proves unfavourable for the ethnic Albanian side, might incite violence from extremists in Kosovo. "We understood each other on the sensitivity of the issue," Bajatovic told. "One of the topics of the meeting with Sedivy was whether NATO membership is a requirement for Serbia's EU integration. We were told once again that it is not, that there will be no obstacles there and that it is a sincere political view," said Bajatovic. The Serbian official added that the committee delegation informed its guests from NATO about Serbia's new activities in the region, initiated by Tadic, the government and agencies.

RASMUSSEN: SERBIA'S FUTURE IS IN EU & NATO
SOFIA, May 20 (Tanjug) - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged Serbia to look to the future, as it lies in its integration in the EU and NATO despite its scepticism regarding the alliance. Rasmussen, who is on a one-day visit to Sofia, said that Bulgaria could play a key role in the process of accession of Western Balkan states to NATO. Referring to NATO's new Strategic Concept, Rasmussen said that its goal is to maintain security guarantees, including the creation of the missile defence system which will not be expensive. In his meeting with Rasmussen, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov pointed to military cooperation between Bulgaria and Serbia.

SERBIA – ECONOMY

EUR 20 MILLION SUPPORT TO SERBIA'S NORTHEAST MUNICIPALITIES
BELGRADE, May 20 (Tanjug) - Thanks to the Municipal Support Programme North-East Serbia, funded by the EU, during the previous three years about EUR 20 million have been set aside for these purposes in Serbia, it was said at a closing conference on this program, dubbed 'From plans to action. ' Results of this project include the creation of local sustainable development strategies in 15 municipalities, implementation of infrastructure projects worth EUR 13.5 million and raising budget revenues in 29 municipalities. Deputy Prime Minister Djelic said that the budget of this project is about EUR 20 million and that its implementation has improved the quality of living in the municipalities of northeastern Serbia, that is, in the districts of Banat, Branicevo and Podunavlje. Djelic announced that on May 25, he will sign with head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert the entire 2010 program of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) for Serbia, to the amount of EUR 180 million, part of which will continue to be set aside for the implementation of infrastructure projects in local self-governments. Degert said that the aim of the programme of assistance to Serbia's northeastern municipalities is increasing the capacities of local governments, involving citizens in making decisions for projects at the municipal level, and added that similar projects should be implemented in other parts of Serbia as well.

GERMAN AMBASSADOR SPOKE FOR THE DIPLOMATS IN VRANJE
VRANJE, May 20 (Tanjug) - German Ambassador to Serbia Wolfram Maas said in Vranje that southern Serbia is interesting to investors and announced that he would recommend two companies from his country to build a factory in Vranje and Leskovac, two of the region's cities. The region is full of very good business ideas that will make up for all that southern Serbia has missed so far, said Maas. The German ambassador spoke for the diplomats of Japan, Austria, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Iran and for his own country when he took part in a meeting organized by the Leskovac Chamber of Commerce to present the potential of the Pcinj and Jablanica districts.

FAS TO LAUNCH PRODUCTION OF NEW MODEL LATE IN 2011
BELGRADE, May 21 (Tanjug) - The Fiat Automobili Srbija (FAS), the Kragujevac-based joint venture of the Serbian government and the Italian Fiat Group, will launch production of a new model late in 2011 and invest about EUR 700 million in equipping of new production plants, it was stated at the round table on the role of the partnership with Fiat in the social and economic growth of Serbia. The total production of about 200,000 vehicles and a profit of one billion euros are expected in 2011. FAS CEO Giovanni de Filippis said that the company plans to launch production of the new model by the end of 2011, which implies that the majority of investments will be realized in this and the next year, but did not want to give more details on the new model. We intend to establish full capacity output by the end of next year. We have not changed the amount of investments that are planed to be realized. There is no news concerning the issue, we have announced several times so far that about EUR 700 mil will be invested and I can confirm that, Filippis said at the round table organized by the Ministry of Finance and the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED).