Belgrade, March 29, 2010

SERBIA – EU / BRUSSELS FORUM 2010

TADIC & ASHTON: GOAL TO GET CANDIDATE STATUS THIS OR NEXT YEAR
BRUSSELS, March 26 (Tanjug) - President Tadic said in Brussels that Serbia's goal is to get candidate status for the EU membership by the end of this or early next year, adding that this will depend on completing cooperation with the ICTY, that is the arrest of Mladic and Hadzic, or at least a positive report of ICTY Chief Prosecutor Brammertz. "I have informed EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton that Serbia is doing everything to arrest the two remaining ICTY fugitives and that the Serbian government and I, as a president, will not give up this commitment at any cost," Tadic stated after the meeting with Ashton. He underscored that he discussed with Ashton, as he put it, "the certain EU enlargement fatigue", adding that this state should end in order for the whole South-East Europe to be integrated into Europe as soon as possible. Tadic added that they also discussed Serbia's EU integration process and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, as well as the cooperation between Serbia and Croatia and his meeting with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Josipovic in Opatija.Tadic reiterated the stand that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo explicitly or implicitly, adding that Serbia wishes, however, to foster regional cooperation in sectors such as transport and communications to the benefit of the whole region. Tadic pointed out that nowadays Serbia is initiating such questions and would like that the Albanian representatives in Kosovo also take part in the regional forums, adding that Serbia puts its red line regarding the issue."It would be very inappropriate if the Albanian institutions tried to use the issue for the implicit recognition of the independence of Kosovo. Serbia will not accept such a solution and it would jeopardize regional communication," Tadic underscored. Tadic is scheduled to participate in the conference dubbed Brussels Forum 2010 in the panel on the Balkans in the capital of Belgium. The participants of the panel are EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and US Senator George Vojnovic.The forum, which is organized by the Marshall Fund, started and will last by March 28, and some of its participants are President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, President of the EC Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Jerzy Burzek.

TADIC: ENTIRE WEST BALKANS SHOULD JOIN EU
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Tanjug) - President Tadic has stated that his key message at the forum in Brussels is an urge not to give up on the EU integration of all West Balkan states and that no country should impose conditions to any other on their EU path due to unresolved bilateral issues. Tadic stated, after the meeting with EU President Herman van Rompuy that it would be "huge and irreversible mistake if the European politicians did not participate in the EU integration of the Western Balkans," Tadic said. "The vision of the Western Balkans that is not integrated into the EU in its entirety is not a good one since it would not be an area of political stability in the long-term period and the price of such a solution would be very high," Tadic said. Tadic pointed out that the West Balkans should have no privileges regarding the EU accession, adding that the same criteria of the EU admission should be applied to all states. "Moreover, no country in the Western Balkans should impose conditions to any other on their EU path due to unresolved bilateral issues, and Serbia will pledge again today that it will not do that to any of the countries that might join the EU after it does," Tadic said. He added that during the talks with the EU officials, he will insist on fulfillment of all prerequisites for the integration process, not only the construction of infrastructure, but also investments in education and science so that the Western Balkans could reach the EU standards as soon as possible. The Serbian president will take part in the conference dubbed Brussels Forum 2010 in the capital of Belgium and he is scheduled to address a panel discussion on the Balkans in which EU Enlargement Commissioner Fule, Croatian President Josipovic and US Senator Vojnovic will also take part. Over 500 world officials will discuss the current global issues at the fifth forum organized by the Marshall Fund, including the situation in Afghanistan and the Middle East and development and geostrategic consequences of the world financial crisis.

TADIC CONFERS WITH ROMPUY ON RELATION IN WEST BALKANS
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Tanjug) - President Tadic stated after the meeting with EU President Herman van Rompuy that they discussed the relations in the West Balkan region and Serbia's position on neighboring relations, and pointed out that Serbia can be a constructive partner of the EU concerning the issue. "We have also discussed Kosovo and the possible unblocking of the Kosovo Albanians' participation in the regional forums. I underscored that Serbia has no reason to block their participation in the regional forums, but insists on the UN formula that is in keeping with Resolution 1244," Tadic said. He stated that at the same time, Serbia would like to take part in the resolution of a number of practical problems in Kosovo-Metohija, such as customs and justice system, and would like to be EU's constructive partner in the addressing of the issues. Tadic and Rompuy also agreed that the problems in BiH cannot be overcome by imposing solutions. "We agreed that no solutions should be imposed in BiH and that we have to insist on the dialogue," Tadic said, adding that they both concluded that at the moment, the international community does not have any concrete solution for the problems in BiH. Tadic reiterated Serbia's principled stand that it is against any partition of BiH and that it strongly supports the Dayton Peace Agreement. "We agreed that there will be no imposing of solutions for BiH and Serbia will accept anything that the two entities and three nations agree on," Tadic stated. After the meeting with Rompuy, Tadic also conferred with US Senator Robert Casey.

TADIC: NO EU COUNTRY CONDITIONS SERBIA'S EU INTEGRATION
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Tanjug) -President Tadic stated at the end of his participation in the Brussels Forum 2010 that no EU country conditions Serbia's EU integration process by the recognition of the independence of Kosovo even though 22 EU member-states have recognized the independence. "On the contrary, that would be a huge problem and Serbia's EU integration process would be blocked," Tadic said at a joint press conference with his Croatian counterpart Josipovic. Tadic said that Serbia accepts that Kosovo and all its citizens become part of the EU, but only as Serbia's southern province. "Speaking about the EU integration process, it is completely clear that only a member of the UN can become a member of the EU. Serbia does not and will not recognize Kosovo, but would like that all people in the region and those living in the Serbian southern province become EU citizens,".

JEREMIC: SPEEDING UP OF THE EU ACCESSION OF ALL REGIONAL COUNTRIES
BUDAPEST, March 29 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic will meet with his Hungarian, Greek and Croatian counterparts in Budapest, and the main topic of the talks will be the regional stabilization process and the EU integration of the Western Balkans. "A meeting between Hungary, Greece, Croatia and Serbia will be held in Budapest. We will discuss the situation on the region and regional cooperation, which is one of our foreign policy priorities," Jeremic said. He added that special attention will be devoted to "the speeding up of the EU accession of all regional countries." Jeremic and his Croatian and Hungarian counterparts, Gordan Jandrokovic and Peter Balazs respectively, will discuss the issues of the return of refugees and the EU strategy for the Danube River, the regional media reported. Greece will be represented by Alternate Foreign Minister Droutsas, who will discuss with his colleagues the solution to the Greece-Macedonia dispute regarding Macedonia's name.

SERBIA

NO INFORMATION ON POSSIBLE SERBIAN VICTIMS IN MOSCOW BLASTS
MOSCOW, March 29 (Tanjug) - It is yet unknown whether there were any Serbian citizens among the victims of the two explosions in downtown Moscow, as the identification process is underway, Tanjug learned at the Serbian Embassy in Moscow. The terrorist attacks of two female suicide bombers in Moscow metro, in the Lubyanka and Culture Park stations, killed 34 and injured 37 people.

TADIC CONGRATULATES PASSOVER TO JEWISH COMMUNITY
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - President Tadic congratulated the Jewish community in Serbia and Chief Rabbi Isak Asijel the festivity of Passover. "May you spend the Festival of Spring in peace, and celebrate it together with your dearest ones, your friends and neighbours," Tadic said in the message. Passover, or Pesach, is one of the three greatest Jewish holidays, which commemorates the biblical event of Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt.

JEREMIC: ICJ'S OPINION AND MLADIC'S ARREST ARE NOT RELATED
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic stated that the announcements of the delay of the advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's independence of the ICJ in the Hague and the arrest of Mladic are not related. "These two things are absolutely not related to one another. The ICJ is only to give its opinion on the legality of Kosovo's independence and so far there have been no information on when they will do that," Jeremic stated, adding that there are announcements of ICJ's delay in giving its advisory opinion and that this is not good news. "We want for it to happen as soon as possible. The more time the court has for giving its opinion, the more pressure can be exerted on this body. Let us hope that the court will rule on this as soon as possible," Jeremic said on Pink television. Jeremic said that he does not expect the ICJ's opinion to be in favor of the Pristina authorities, assessing that, should this happen, "no international border will ever be secure." "I hope that neither we nor the region, nor anybody in the world will face this kind of situation," Jeremic underscored. The ICJ should give its advisory opinion on the legality of the unilateral declaration of independence of KiM in May or June, however, according to some media reports, they will postpone it until the end of the year, most likely until November. Allegedly, this delay is related to the international community's expectation that Serbia will by then be able to extradite Mladic to the ICTY.

JEREMIC: SERBIA HAS FOUR PRIORITIES
BELGRADE, March 26 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said, adressing non-resident ambassadors to Serbia, that Serbia is committed to building international relations with their countries. Jeremic reminded that Serbia has four foreign policy priorites - preservation of territorial integrity through diplomacy, European integration, regional cooperation and economic diplomacy. He noted that Serbia's response to Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence two years ago was peaceful and that the country remains dedicated to finding a peaceful solution. According to him, when the International Court of Justice rules whether the unilateral declaration of independance is in accordance with international law, it will open the door to peaceful solutions in such cases not only in the region but in other parts of the world as well.

SUTANOVAC EXPECTS OPENING OF MISSION TO NATO BY MID 2010
BELGRADE, March 26 (Tanjug) - Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said that he expects that Serbia will open a mission to NATO in Brussels by mid 2010, and added that Brigadier General Nebojsa Djukanovic will take over the duty of the country's military official. He reminded that Serbia has been a member of the Partnership for Peace since 2006, and added that the country wants to participate in the NATO's program the same way Austria, which closely cooperates with the Alliance although it is not a member, does. During a briefing for non-resident ambassador, the minister pointed out that the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces (VS) and members of KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija has reached the level of partner relations. He added that the VS and KFOR now have joint patrols and communicate on a daily basis, which is important for security of Kosovo and the region as well. Sutanovac reminded that KFOR will not reduce the number of its troops in Kosovo without Belgrade's consent, and underscored that it is of great importance that members of international forces stay in the area, first of all because of the people's security, but also because of stability. Reflecting on Serbia's European integration, he reiterated that in 2007 the European Commission evaluated as positive the achieved level of civil and democratic control over the VS for the first time, which is significant for the country's European integration. The minister thinks that the reform of armed forces which is being successfully undertaken, and in scope of which a number of important documents and strategies have been enacted, is important for Serbia's EU integration.

“SREBRENICA DECLARATION” CANNOT BE CHANGED, ONLY WITHDRAWN
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - Serbian parliament speaker Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said that the draft declaration on Srebrenica cannot be changed at this point, but it can be withdrawn in order to write a completely new document. "This draft cannot be further adapted. There are two options - passing the text as it is, or withdrawing the declaration and drafting a completely new document. The MPs can discuss the proposed text but they cannot submit amendments like they would to a bill," Djukic Dejanovic told daily Blic. The parliament speaker reminded that the declaration entered parliamentary procedure, unchanged from the version which was sent to MPs last Wednesday as no one asked for any alterations. Djukic Dejanovic said that the parliament could still vote on the declaration Tuesday if a request for an urgent vote is filed by 11 a.m. Monday. She said the parliament should adopt the declaration with as many votes as possible. "It would be good if as many MPs as possible voted for the declaration condemning the crime, because that would send a positive message to us, to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to the families of the victims," believes the speaker.

SERBIA – REGION

TADIC: IMPORTANT THAT STATES SUPPORT EACH OTHER ON EU PATH
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Tanjug) - The countries of the South-East Europe that have the EU accession on their agenda should support each other, cooperate and not hinder one another on their EU path, President Boris Tadic stated in Brussels. At a panel discussion on the Balkans, Tadic underscored that it is very important for the regional states to carry out reforms that can be difficult and time-consuming, and added that nevertheless, all challenges can be overcome by good cooperation. Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said that the states should enlarge cooperation, adding that it is very important that the cooperation is not only realized at the state level but, what is more important, among citizens.

TADIC: ORGANIZED CRIME IS ONE OF MAJOR CHALLENGES
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Tanjug) - President Tadic and Croatian President Josipovic agreed in Brussels that the issue of organized crime is one of the major challenges and a huge problem not only in the region but also in Europe. Tadic, who takes part in a panel discussion of the conference dubbed Brussels Forum 2010, pointed out that the Serbian authorities are putting a lot of effort in the fight against organized crime, adding that the Serbian security agency closely cooperates with the agencies of the USA and the Great Britain. "For the first time, Serbia has contributed to the international security through the cooperation that was proved by the seizure of many tons of cocaine in the Atlantic Ocean," Serbian president said answering the question of journalist and expert for the Balkans Misha Glenny on the methods of possible elimination of the impacts that the organized crime has on policy and society. Tadic underscored that the organized crime today is connected with the war crimes that took place in the past, adding that the solution of the problem is crucial for the stability of the region and a security guarantee for the future generation. Josipovic said that his country has made big steps in the fight against organized crime and underscored that it is very important to first recognize the problem, both at the state level and in the region and Europe, and then to encourage the governments to address it. The presidents agreed that the cooperation between Serbia and Croatia in the domain of security is very good.

ZAGREB REFUTES EU DEMANDS DROPPING OF LAWSUIT AGAINST SERBIA
BELGRADE, March 28 (Tanjug) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia stated in Zagreb that none of the EU officials has asked from Croatia's authorities to withdraw the genocide lawsuit against Serbia. The Croatian authorities filed a lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, whose legal successor is Serbia, for the alleged crimes of genocide during the war conflict from 1991 to 1995. The ministry released the statement in response to an article published in the daily Slobodna Dalmacija saying that Croatia has received a demand from the EU to withdraw the lawsuit against Serbia. "The decision on the withdrawal of genocide lawsuit is rendered by the Croatian government, but such a possibility has not been discussed," the statement reads. The ministry also stated that all open issues should be addressed, adding that one of the first steps should be to shed light on the fates of the missing persons during war conflict.

DACIC: CRIMINALS ARE REGION'S COMMON CONCERN
ZAGREB, March 28 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic stated for the Zagreb-based daily Jutarnji List that all criminals in the region have, in a way, become a common concern, adding that the fight against organized crime should be realized by sharing data and operative police cooperation. "Following the dissolution of Tito's Yugoslavia, the brotherhood and unity was preserved only among the criminals and that lasts even today. There is no other way we can fight them unless we share data and promote operative police cooperation," Dacic pointed out on the occasion of the announcement that the Serbian and Croatian interior ministries will establish a join center for fight against organized crime. "I have proposed more efficent operative model of cooperation between the Serbian and Croatian police, given that there is practically no organized crime group that does not involve members of almost all nations and all states of the former Yugoslavia," he said. "I believe that we will soon reach such a level of operative cooperation that Croatia will take over the surveillance of the Serbian criminals when they enter the territory of your state and vice versa. We have no reason to hide anything since there is no more grouping into our and your criminals," Dacic pointed out in the interview. He stressed that the greatest number of the members of organized crime are engaged into drug trafficking.

VUJANOVIC: WE WANT TO OVERCOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS WITH SERBIA
PODGORICA, March 29 (Tanjug) - President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic stated that the country wants to have close cooperation with Serbia as well as to overcome all misunderstandings which, as he put it, happen even to the closest neighbors. In an interview given to the Podgorica daily Dan, Vujanovic pointed out that the connection between Serbia and Montenegro is multilateral - historical and topical, and added that misunderstandings between the two countries should be overcome "by affirming our closeness."The Montenegrin president evaluated that each country should create and pursue its own politics, at the same time appreciating its neighbors, the countries in the region and, as he said, partners in the process of integration.Commenting on a recent statement of President Tadic that Montenegro is not decisive enough in fighting organized crime, Vujanovic said that such statements do not "sound like" something his Serbian counterpart would say."This does not sound like a statement of the Serbian president, who after the temporary results of referendum came to Montenegro to acknowledge the will of citizens, who attended a celebration of the country's first anniversary of independence, and who publicly congratulated us for our integration-related successes," Vujanovic stressed.

SERBIA – ECONOMY

CVETKOVIC ON LOW LEVEL OF SERBIAN ECONOMY'S COMPETITIVENESS
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - The unfavorable structure of the Serbian economy and high share of the service sector, which produces non-interchangeable goods in the GDP, are the reasons for the low level of Serbia's competitiveness, Prime Minister Cvetkovic stated. He said at a meeting dubbed Toward Serbia of Better Competitiveness that the low level of competitiveness is the result of inefficient anti-monopoly policy, legal insecurity, reflected in unsatisfactory realization of agreements and rulings of the courts, and the physical and innovation infrastructure that is insufficiently developed. In the period between 2003 and 2008, the sectors of telecommunications, finance and retail sale participated with over 80 percent in the GDP growth, which indicates that Serbia has to change the structure of its economy, he added. Cvetkovic said that based on the proposal of the National Competitiveness Council, the Serbian government adopted early this year, 38 measures for the promotion of economic competitiveness in the spheres of infrastructure, energy efficiency, efficiency of the goods and labor markets, development of human capital and improvement of efficiency of the public administration.Cvetkovic said that the measures remove administrative hindrances in doing business and secure the implementation of the Law on Protection of Competition, the Law on Electronic Signature and the Law on Planning and Construction. He pointed out that according to the latest report on the global competitiveness of the World Economic Forum, Serbia is 93rd on the list of 133 countries and added that in comparison with other countries in the region, Serbia's position is also unsatisfying.

DJELIC: SERBIA IS GOOD PLACE TO INVEST
BELGRADE, March 26 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Bozidar Djelic invited non-resident ambassadors to Serbia to invest in the country, saying Serbia is a good place to invest and has become the key to stability in the whole Western Balkan region. Addressing the ambassadors, Djelic reiterated that Serbia's strategic goal is to become a full-fledged EU member and reminded that Belgrade sought candidate status last year. "The Serbian government is working to root out organized crime and corruption as part of its EU integration efforts, and it wants to cooperate with all the countries whose ambassadors were here today on issues across the board, including the fight against drug trafficking," Dejlic said. He stressed once again the importance of Corridor 10, which will be the shortest route from Vienna to Istanbul, and the Danube Strategy, saying Serbia is dedicated to its implementation. According to Djelic, conditions should be created for all Western Balkan countries to join the EU together.

DJELIC: SERBIA'S GOAL TO JOIN LIST OF 70 MOST COMPETITIVE COUNTRIES
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Djelic stated that the country's goal is to move up from the current 93th place on the World Economic Forum's list of 133 countries and join the first 70 most competitive states. At a meeting dubbed Toward Serbia of Better Competitiveness, attended by a number of government's officials and several dozens of entrepreneurs, Djelic qualified the goal as ambitious but achievable. Djelic, who is also the Vice President of the National Competitiveness Council, stated that that the low level of competitiveness is the result of "brain drain", inefficient anti-monopoly policy and poor infrastructure. Stopping brain drain is the priority of the Scientific and Technological Development Strategy, which was adopted in late Feb 2009, he stressed, and reminded that around 73,000 highly educated people left Serbia in the period 1990-2000. According to him, several key laws have been adopted in the field of protection of competition and fight against monopoly, among which is the Law on Protection of Competition on trade liberalization and equality of market participants. Djelic stated that draft laws on trade and protection of consumers, which should be adopted during 2010, have also been prepared. He pointed out that more than EUR 2 billion is expected to be invested into Serbia's infrastructure by 2012.

SERBIAN GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO SELL PART OF TELEKOM
BELGRADE, March 26 (Tanjug) - The Serbian government announced its decision to sell a part of its shares in Telekom Srbija, which is the national telecommunications company. The annoucnement states that the decision was made while "keeping in mind the importance of telecommunications for Serbia's future development, increasing competition in the field and the need to raise investments in order to keep up with technological development." The government also recommended that Telekom's parent company, PTT Srbija, which is a public enterprise, transfer its Telekom shares to the government without any compensation.

LISSOVIK: IMF DOES NOT EXPECT CHANGE IN NBS POLICY
BELGRADE, March 29 (Tanjug) - Resident representative of the IMF in Serbia Bogdan Lissovik said that the IMF does not expect the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) to change its inflation policy after the resignation of Governor Jelasic. The arrangement between the IMF and Serbia is still in effect, and Serbia is implementing the economic policies we agreed on, Lissovik told Vecernje novosti. The IMF head in Serbia assessed that the government's decision to sell part of national telecommunications company Telekom is an opportunity to revitalize the important privatization process, but he would not comment on this particular privatization at this stage. Asked to comment on the government's performance in managing state companies, Lissovik said that there is still a very high level of state control. Many state-run companies continue to operate with losses. This is the main reason why the share of the private sector in the Serbian economy is lower than in similar transition economies like Poland or Slovakia, Lissovik said. According to him, the private sector accounts for 75 to 80 percent of the economy in these countries, and only 60 percent in Serbia. Increasing the share of the private sector could play the key role in Serbia's transition to a sustainable export-based economy, said the IMF representative in Serbia.

KOSOVO & METOHIJA

DE KERMABON: SOLVING OF KOSOVO JUDICIARY ISSUE MOST IMPORTANT
PRISTINA, March 26 (Tanjug) - Head of EULEX Yves de Kermabon has stated that it is most important to solve the issue of judiciary in Kosovo and improve the work of judicial bodies, and added that he is maintaining permanent contact with the authorities in Belgrade for this purpose. The focus is on the justice. The most important issue is to improve the work of the courthouse in Mitrovica which currently has only prosecutors from the EULEX, de Kermabon said. He reminded that since June 2009 a technical team of three Serbian and three Albanian judges has been brought back in the courthouse in Mitrovica in order to work on pending files. "The next step is to succeed to bring back at least two Kosovo Serbian and two Kosovo Albanian judges in the courthouse in order to deal with all the pending cases under the EULEX monitoring," he said. De Kermabon underlined that during the meetings in Belgrade he "found flexibility and some confidence building measures in order to accept the return of two Kosovo Serbian judges to the courthouse", and added that he is currently in discussion on the issue with the Pristina authorities. Speaking of the strategy for northern Kosovo made by the Pristina interim authorities, De Kermabon said that the the EU "is not part of the strategy" and that "EU from the beginning and EULEX have explained that we are here to establish step-by-step policy in northern Kosovo." "We are not here to force the people or to act by force. We are here once again to bring a better rule of law for everybody. To do this we need to work with everybody," he underlined. "We are here for the benefit of the population, and not to deal with politics, with status, with independence," he added.

EU OPENS ITS OFFICE IN NORTHERN KOSOVO
PRISTINA, March 26 (Tanjug) - The EU is strongly committed to the improvement of life for all the people in Kosovo, and the goals the EU has for northern Kosovo are the same as the ones it has for Kosovo as a whole, EULEX released in a statement on the occasion of the opening of the EU Office in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The goals of the EU are promotion of good administration, socioeconomic development and strengthening of the rule of law, as well as contribution to a stable multiethnic society. As part of these efforts, the EU has decided to intensify its presence and activities in the northern part of Kosovo by setting up the EU House, the statement reads. The EU representatives, who attended the opening ceremony in northern Mitrovica, reiterated their commitment to Kosovo, including its northern part. EU envoy for northern Kosovo, Italian Ambassador Michael Giffoni said that the opening of the EU House in northern Kosovska Mitrovica is a concrete proof of EU's presence in northern Kosovo. All 27 member countries of the EU are committed to the European perspective of both Kosovo and Serbia, as part of the West Balkans, and this also includes the northern part of Kosovo, Giffoni said, and EULEX released in the statement. The offices of the EU special representative in Kosovo share the same values when it comes to the goals to be achieved in Kosovo: promotion of stability, security and progress for all the people in Kosovo. One of the concrete achievements of these activities is the deployment of EU's efficient presence in the north, Giffoni said.Head of Operations of the European Commission Liaison Office Kjartan Bjornsson said on the occasion that EC is committed to their stronger engagement in the north of Kosovo, which would help improve the stability of that region.

ADMIRAL STAVRIDIS VISITS VISOKI DECANI
BELGRADE, March 26 (Tanjug) - Bishop Teodosije underscored the importance of the presence of international peacekeeping missions in Kosovo-Metohija in the talks with NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Admiral James Stavridis, adding that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) finds it extremely important that KFOR continues to secure eight greatest Serbian holy sites in the province. According to a statement released by the Ras-Prizren Diocese, Admiral Stavridis assured Bishop Teodosije that NATO will not take any further steps in view of the protection of the Serbian holy sites without previous dialogue with the SPC and that the SPC's concern regarding the security of these sites will be taken into consideration. Teodosije received Stavridis in the Visoki Decani Monastery and Stavridis showed great interest in the monastery and preservation of the Serbian orthodox sites in Kosovo-Metohija, the statement reads. Along with the admiral, KFOR Commander German General Markus Bentler, Commander of the Multi-National Task Force (MNTF)-East Brigadier General Alan Dohrmann, Commander of the Multinational Battle Group-West Colonel Vincenzo Grasso and close cooperators of Admiral Stavridis and NATO chief headquarters also visited the monastery. Bishop Teodosije expressed gratitude to Admiral Stavridis for the effort that KFOR makes in order to protect the Serbian orthodox sites, adding that the SPC particularly appreciates KFOR's contribution in the process of Serbs' return, especially to the enclaves in Metohija, and the support that KFOR soldiers regularly offer ensuring safety during religious ceremonies in the security-threatened parts of Kosovo-Metohija.

GIFFONI: EU TO COOPERATE WITH PEOPLE IN NOTHERN KOSOVO
PRISTINA, March 29 (Tanjug) - Italian Ambassador to Kosovo and EU envoy to northern Kosovo Michael Giffoni said that EU representatives in northern Kosovo will cooperate with representatives of the local people and not with institutions. In an interview with the Pristina daily Koha Ditore, Giffoni said that the EU's work in the north is not tied to institutional authorities. We cannot say we will work with the parallel authorities. We will cooperate with the representatives of the people, who will acquaint us with the specific needs of the community, Giffoni said. According to him, the EU is trying to implement its principles and achieve its goals in the entire territory of Kosovo, and not establish institutions in the north. He noted that the EU does not have a special plan for northern Kosovo.