Belgrade, 23. 02. 2010.

BELGRADE, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - Serbian Legal Team Coordinator before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Sasa Obradovic said Monday evening that the Croatian legal representative Andreja Metelko-Zgombic has not filed for a withdrawal of Croatia's charges against Serbia, which accuse the country of committing genocide.

Speaking about a meeting with ICJ representatives, Obradovic told TV B92 that the Serbian side was "open to any option," but that "the Croatian representative did not even mention" withdrawing the charges, which were filed in July 1999 and cited genocide against Croats in the 1991-1995 war. "Metelko-Zgombic did not even take the opportunity to attack our charges right there, instead asking to be given 14 months to reply, but the Court allowed 9," Obradovic said.

He noted that in its countersuit filed December 31, 2009, Serbia stated that Croatia is still violating the convention on genocide prevention because it has not punished those who committed genocide against the Serbs during the military operation Oluja (Storm). Serbia has asked that the genocide victims be compensated, refugees enabled to return and that the ICJ ban Croatia from celebrating August 5, a day on which more than 230,000 Serbs were exiled, as Victory Day, Obradovic said. When asked if the Serbian Parliament should refer to the Srebrenica massacre as genocide in its resolution on it, Obradovic answered that the document should confirm the ICJ decision, but stressed that Serbia would not suffer any legal consequences should it choose to use a different term.

ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - Croatian President Ivo Josipovic stated on Monday that he considers Serbia to be an important regional partner of Croatia and pointed out that it should be worked on positive competition between the two countries in the domain of reforms and establishing of peace.

Josipovic said in a Croatian radio show that the fact that Serbian President Boris Tadic did not attend his inauguration last week was not a positive message but a missed opportunity for a quick dialogue and expressed expectation that the obstacles will be removed soon.

ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Better interregional cooperation and understanding between Serbia and Croatia are key to stability in the Balkans and EU accession, Janko Veselinovic, head of the Serbian Parliament Croatian Friendship Group, told Tanjug after meeting with the Croatian Parliament Serbian Friendship Group and committee for inter-parliamentary cooperation.

"Our contacts are a good example of our relations becoming friendlier, but without neglecting existing differences in certain issues, like Kosovo. We agree, however, that it should not affect other important issues concerning Serb and Croat citizens, like the right of refugees to return home, property rights, rights of the Serb minority in Croatia, but also of those Serbs who have not returned yet, as well the rights of Croats who live in Serbia," Veselinovic noted. Stating that the discussions on improving parliamentary cooperation between Serbia and Croatia were good, Veselinovic remarked that both parties agreed that the two friendship groups could serve as an example to cooperation committees regarding issues that are important for both countries, like the committee for European integration or minority rights.

"We expect that the discussions will be a good example for cooperation between local self-governments, but also between the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and Croatian counties," said Veselinovic. He said that he welcomes Croatian President Ivo Josipovic's view that the region is a priority of Croatia's foreign policy. "The region has been a top priority of Serbia's policy as well for a while now, and that is where the two policies could meet, through building good relations with neighbors and resolving issues that Josipovic mentioned as well, like the refugees, borders and every other problem standing in our way. It is possible if the institutions of both countries work hard on those issues," Veselinovic concluded.

PODGORICA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The issue of the operation Balkan Warrior (Balkanski ratnik), related to smuggling of more than two tons of cocaine from South America to Europe, restarted the question of relations between Montenegro and Serbia in a way which lays the blame onto Montenegrin door, Montenegrin Interior Minister Ivan Brajovic said.

To use the origin of persons accused of committing certain criminal acts to suggest that the character of a whole community is criminal is unacceptable, Brajovic said in a written statement to the media. In the case in question, the prime suspect is a citizen of Serbia, not of Montenegro, and in the past few years he conducted most of his activities in Serbia, where the bigger part of his property lies, Brajovic stated.

Despite these facts, the attacks on the procedures of Montenegrin bodies have not stopped. On the other hand, all this cannot be an excuse for possible internal failures, the Montenegrin minister said, underlining that the fight against organized crime must be successful.

The person charged with smuggling more than two tons of cocaine, Darko Saric, who was born in a Montenegrin city of Pljevlja, is pursued by Interpol. The Montenegrin authorities claim that Saric is not in Montenegro, while the Serbian authorities believe he is hiding in that country, since he was there ten days before the issuance of the arrest warrant.

BELGRADE, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - Head of the Coordination Body for the South of Serbia Milan Markovic stated Monday evening that the security situation in the areas of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja is stable in spite of a recent attack on a member of the Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) in Bujanovac.

"The incident is not in favor of our work in the southern Serbia. We have a very clear policy in view of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja," Markovic said for the Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). MUP officer Bljerim Mustafa was seriously injured on February 14 in a blast in Bujanovac and then transported to the Clinical Center in Belgrade for medical treatment. Markovic said that the policy is well designed and that the center has partners for its implementation in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, adding that incidents should not have an impact on their global policy.

"There are a lot of problems, but in general we have made big steps forward in the last two years," Serbian Minister for Public Administration and Local Self-government said. According to him, the political scene in the southern Serbia is quite complicated among the ethnic-Albanians, which is additionally burdened by the relations in Pristina, and partly in the North of Kosovo-Metohija so that a question arises whether they are autonomous when making decisions.

TIRANA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Respect of human rights of ethnic Albanians living in the Presevo Valley is an issue of particular importance for Albania, Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilir Meta told a joint news conference following a meeting with political representatives of the Preshevo Valley on Monday.

Respect and fostering of the Albanian community rights in the Presevo Valley has been and will be an important part of bilateral relations between Albania and Serbia which Albania wants to improve, he said. The Albanian community in Presevo Valley represents a source of stability not only for Albanians, but for the whole region, Meta said. Albania will stand by this community, he said, describing as crucial the cooperation with all Albanian representatives in the Presevo Valley.

Chairman of the Party for Democratic Action and member of the Serbian parliament Riza Halimi pointed to the importance of the meeting with the Albanian foreign minister and emphasized that the ethnic Albanian population in southern Serbia faces unfavorable policies and attitudes, Albanian news agency ATA reports.

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The Serbian Ministry of Human and Minority Rights organized a ceremony on Monday to mark the International Mother Language Day. The speakers at the event, including Minister of Human and Minority Rights Svetozar Ciplic, writer Grozdana Olujic and students of the secondary school from Sremski Karlovci, talked about the significance of language in preserving identity and building a democratic society.

Ciplic wished everyone a happy Mother Language Day and spoke in favor of preserving languages, because, as he put it, the world is facing a grim statistic that says that a language disappears every two weeks. He added that that is why it is important to mark that day. Secretary of Culture of the Autonomus Province of Vojvodina Milorad Djuric said that language preservation, especially when it comes to ethnic minority languages, is extremely important and also a field in which Serbia can serve as an example to others, explaining that there are five cultural institutions in Vojvodina dedicated to fostering ethnic minority cultures.

"The measure of respect for other languages is the measure of a community's advancement," said Djuric, adding that Serbia is a multicultural society, with Vojvodina being a great example of how to combine and harmonize differences. Writer and winner of the NIN Award for best novel in 2009 Grozdana Olujic said she was pleased that there was an event like that dedicated to language, stressing that "there are no great and small languages in the world, but only great and small souls."

BELGRADE, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - The Danube Centre, a joint regional institution of the six European countries the River Danube flows through, was opened in Belgrade on Tuesday with the aim to boost the tourism potentials of this river.

The Danube Centre was jointly set up by Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova, and its main task will be to promote the tourist offers of the middle and lower course of the Danube River, economic development of the region, as well as collection of funds for its development. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic underlined that it is important that Serbia is a member of this international initiative.

The Danube River has potential to become Europe's tourist destination, Djelic said, and added that he counts on the IPA funds which could be used for concrete Danube projects. One of the first opportunities to promote the region will be the forthcoming Belgrade Tourism Fair to be staged on February 24-28, at which the Danube Centre for Competence will for the first time jointly present the tourist offer of the region of Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

PRAGUE, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - The Czech Republic supports Serbia's candidacy for the membership in the European Union (EU) and will help Belgrade achieve the goal as soon as possible, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Serbian National Assembly Dragoljub Micunovic said on Monday.

"The Czech Republic wishes that Serbia enters the EU as soon as possible, it will support the candidacy and, of course, in some way lobby other European countries to help achieving that goal," Micunovic told Tanjug after a meeting with representatives of the Czech parliament in Prague. According to him, it is planned that the Czech experts who performed technical duties for European integration come to Belgrade and "help Serbia avoid the same mistakes they made, in order to technically improve the process."

BELGRADE, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - French Ambassador to Serbia Jean-Francois Terral has said that the text of a strategic partnership agreement between Serbia and France is ready, and that the negotiations should be completed by initialing the agreement during a future visit by France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

Terral told Vecernje novosti, a Serbian daily, that the agreement was announced in May 2009, during Serbian President Boris Tadic's visit to Paris, adding that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is going visit Serbia in 2010. According to Terral, the agreement tries to give a formal shape to the political obligation to cooperate in Serbia's European integration when it comes to economy, energy, defence, security, environment protection, science, culture and university issues.

Terral pointed out that France feels that Serbia belongs in the EU, which was stated very clearly by Sarkozy during his meeting with Tadic in Paris. France will back Serbia's EU bid, Terral noted, adding that the bid being sent to the European Commission is a technical matter with the aim of getting an opinion. It could be sent immediately, according to Terral, who remarked that France hopes a consensus will be reached soon.

BRUSSELS, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The European Commission suggested Monday that the EU extends its trade privileges for the Western Balkan countries, including Serbia, by another five years.

The arrangement, first signed in 2000, allows export of almost any goods from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and UNMIK-Kosovo to the EU without customs barriers and quantity limitations. This status allows the Western Balkan countries to be part of the Stabilization and Association Process. Together with the bilateral agreements currently in effect, these trade preferences help those countries' economic integration into the EU, thereby supporting political stability and economic progress in the entire region, says an announcement by the Commission.

The preference agreement was already extended once in 2005, so it is due to expire in December 2010. The new extention needs to be confirmed by EU ministers and the European Parliament. The announcement states that ending the trade privileges might cause negative consequences to the overall economic condition within the Western Balkan countries and their reform processes. The EU is the biggest trade partner to the Western Balkans.

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbia will do everything it can to attract Swedish investments and negotiations are currently underway on entry of Swedish company IKEA into the Serbian market by 2011, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic said on Monday.

The plot of land to be allotted to the company IKEA has already been identified, Djelic said after the talks with Swedish Trade Minister Ewa Bjorling at the Serbian government. Djelic thanked the visiting minister for all the good things that happened to Serbia during the Swedish presidency of the European Union in the second half of last year, reminding that this was the time when the EU Council of Ministers reached a decision on the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia and the application for EU candidacy was submitted.

The Swedish minister pointed out that she conferred with the Serbian Vice-Premier about Serbia's future in Europe and the economic cooperation of the two countries. The talk focused on simplification of the procedures for investments in the Serbian economy and on what Serbia could do to curb corruption and remove administrative barriers, Bjorling pointed out. Speaking about Serbia's EU integration, she said that Sweden supports the EU enlargement process and that Serbia could make the Union still greater.

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbia's Minister of Trade and Services Slobodan Milosavljevic and Sweden's Minister of Trade Ewa Bjorling announced Monday that there are plenty of opportunities out there to increase the trade between Serbia and Sweden and get more investments in Serbia.

The ministers discussed how to increase cooperation in the trade sector, food industry, energy, wood-processing sector and in realizing important infrastructure projects, the Serbian Ministry of Trade announced. "Serbia is part of the global market and it offers very good conditions to foreign investors," Milosavljevic said, stressing the opportunities provided by Serbia's free trade agreements with Russia, Belarus, Turkey and the countries of the Central European Free Trade Agreement. Milosavljevic stated that he believes an agreement will be reached with IKEA during 2010 for that company to enter the Serbian market.

The ministers agreed that there should be direct meetings between the two countries' companies and an increase in cooperation through a more active role of the Serbian expatriate community. Sweden is Serbia's most important economic partner among the Scandinavian countries, but the trade volume is relatively modest and not in line with the needs and possibilities of the two countries, the ministers stated. The total trade between Serbia and Sweden in 2008 was USD 288.6 million, with Serbia's deficit being USD 196.2 million. The global economic crisis resulted in a drop in trade between the two countries, so the overall value was at USD 197 million, says the announcement.

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - A memorandum of understanding, aimed at promotion of international economic and trade system in Serbia, which will enable our country to promote its system of protection of geographic origin of its products in foreign markets, was signed with the Swiss government at the Serbian government today.

The Memorandum was signed by Deputy Prime Minister for European integrations Bozidar Djelic and Switzerland's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Michael Ambul, and it includes CHF 780,000 to cover the project expenses for a period of three years. Serbia has big reaches that are currently unutilized, said Djelic, adding that Serbia should protect its domestic brands such as brandy sljivovica, Pirot cheese, Sjenica cheese, Uzice and Kraljevo kaymak, dry-cured Uzice ham, Srem sausage, Vrsac wine...

The aim of the project is to select products that have commercial success abroad, to prepare a system of their protection not only in Europe but worldwide, clarified Djelic, adding that this is an excellent support to Serbia's goal, which is to get accepted in the European Patent Institute this year.

NOVI SAD/VUKOVAR, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - A delegation of the Vojvodina parliament headed by Deputy Premier of the province Boris Barjaktarovic and officials of the Croatian Vukovar-Srem County agreed Monday in Vukovar to sign an agreement on cooperation.

The signing of the agreement would renew the existing protocol on cooperation, and complete it with provisions on coordinated drafting of the Danube strategy and joint applications for cross-border cooperation programs between Serbia and Croatia. A delegation of the Vukovar-Srem County will visit Novi Sad in May, during the Agriculture Fair, the Vojvodina information secretariat said.

BELGRADE, Feb 23 - Serbian Chamber of Commerce President Milos Bugarin assessed that Serbia has failed to fully exploit the advantages of the free trade agreement it signed with Russia ten years ago. The quantity of goods and continuity of their delivery by Serbian exporters have not met the demands of the huge Russian market, Bugarin told the Tuesday edition of the daily Blic.

Asked if the political situation in Serbia is the reason why the Russian Duma has still not ratified the document, Bugarin said that "what is important for Serbia's export economy is that the arrangement can be implemented in full." Bugarin said that "Serbia needs to focus on the customs union which will be formed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and which will create a market of 200 million consumers." "If we could up production both in Serbia and the region, the sky would be the limit for food exports to this market. The trade liberalization is far greater with Belarus than with Russia, and it is time we start negotiating free trade with Kazakhstan," Bugarin assessed. He said that "energy is the cornerstone of Serbia and Russia's strategic cooperation, and that this does not comprise only the privatization of oil company NIS, but also the South Stream gas pipeline, the oil pipeline, the gas storage in Banatski Dvor and the establishment of a mixed company for insurance and risk sharing in the Serbian and Russian markets." There is also talk of building hydropower plants and restoring thermal power plants. Serbia must improve its energy efficiency, because it ranks lowest in Europe, Bugarin said.

VIENNA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Mayor of Jagodina Dragan Markovic met with his counterpart from Vienna Michael Haeupel on Monday to discuss economic, cultural and sport cooperation between the two cities. During the meeting, Markovic suggested that the city of Vienna be given two hectares of land in the Jagodina industrial zone, which would be meant to attract Austrian investors, since they would be getting free land equipped with complete infrastructure.

The zone already has three plants, whose owners are from Hungary, Greece and USA and who have fulfilled the necessary condition - to employ at least 23 workers. Markovic also suggested cooperation in sport and culture. Markovic pointed out that the agriculture in Serbia is especially well developed, and that it would be good to find ways of getting that produce to the Viennese market. Haeupel accepted Markovic's invitation to visit Jagodina. Markovic brought 230 students from Jagodina with him, giving them an opportunity to learn about the Austrian capital.

VIENNA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Vienna Mayor and Governor Michael Haeupel said Monday that discussions are frequently being held in Austria with good reason on its decision to recognize Kosovo. Haeupel said that this decision was not unanimous for Austria or for his Social Democratic Party and that it was not taken speedily.

Austria has turned to other issues important for the future and the people of Serbia, such as visa liberalization for travel to the European Union, he said at a meeting with Jagodina Mayor Dragan Markovic in Vienna. Visa liberalization is very important for separated families and for the fostering of economic ties between Austria and Serbia, he said.

The meeting was attended also by Ivica Toncev, advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, MP Petar Petrovic and Goran Bradic, official of the Serbian embassy in Vienna.

BONN, Feb 23 (Tanjug) - Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said that EU Special Representative in Kosovo Pieter Feith can continue in that position, but stressed that he has to represent all EU members in that case, because they do not all have the same view on Kosovo.

Pieter Feith's mandate is to represent the EU, which means representing all 27 Member States and respecting each of their views, Lajcak told Deutsche Welle Radio. According to Lajcak's opinion, Feith realized that during his previous mandate and should be allowed to continue in his position. The foreign minister also noted that the EU is not behind Feith's plan to integrate northern Kosovo.

Lajcak stated that he does not know if the plan exists and if it has been properly authorized, adding that it was never considered nor approved by European institutions. Although the EU has reached a consensus to extend Feith's mandate in Kosovo, it has not been done yet. The final confirmation might come Thursday.

PRISTINA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Members of KFOR Multinational Battle Group East from the territory of Gnjilane will carry out a military exercise in different locations in Kosovo, including the areas under the authority of other multinational battle groups, the U.S. command stationed in the Bondsteel Camp near Gnjilane stated on Monday.

The exercises, which will be performed on February 23 and 24, are not organized as a response or preparation to any situation that is currently in progress or is expected in Kosovo, the statement reads. The military exercise will evaluate and confirm the operational capacity of the Multinational Battle Group East after recent changes made in accordance with the KFOR plan dubbed 'Deterrent Presence.' The transition in the battle group East, as put in the statement, will not influence the KFOR mission in Kosovo to preserve safe surroundings, whenever and wherever necessary.

The Multinational Battle Group East remains quick, highly flexible, mobile and ready to react in every situation which endangers the security in Kosovo, the statement specified. The East is an operative force headed by the USA, under the command of Brigadier General Al Dorman. This combat group comprises around 2,200 members, and the soldiers from Greek and Polish-Ukrainian operation forces are included, too. The mission of the forces is to keep the surroundings secure and safe and provide the freedom of movement for all the people in Kosovo.

PRISTINA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo strongly condemned Monday the desecration of Zivka Jovanovic's grave on February 19 at the orthodox cemetery in Gnjilane.

The desecration of a grave is unacceptable and inhumane act. Such actions burrow the efforts of local and international institutions to ensure the return and multi-ethnic functioning in Kosovo, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Markku Laamanen has stated in a written statement.