REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

 JELASIC: TWO-YEAR PROGRAM WITH IMF

SERBIA

ROMANIAN MINISTER FOR ENHANCED EUSERBIA DIALOGUE

BUCHAREST, March 12 (Beta) - After meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic in Bucharest on March 12, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu advocated a dynamic dialogue and implementation of the interim trade agreement between the EU and Serbia as soon as possible. "Romania will be Serbia’s most prominent advocate on its path of integration into the EU," Diaconescu told the press after meeting Jeremic. Diaconescu underlined that Romania strongly supports Serbia on its path of European integration, because there is a deep friendship between the two countries. Romania advocates a dynamic dialogue and swift implementation of the interim trade agreement. Jeremic said that Belgrade appreciates Romania’s efforts on behalf of Serbia’s and the Western Balkans’ European future, and the fact that its stand on Kosovo has not changed. He emphasized that the Serbian government policy covers both Kosovo and Europe, that is, the fight for sovereignty and EU membership. The two ministers also discussed economic issues, cooperation in all fields, especially in economy and in joint, primarily European regional projects. They also addressed the Austrian idea of cooperation between all countries on the Danube. The ministers also talked about the 145th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations. Belgrade was the third capital, after the former Constantinople and Paris, in which Romanian authorities opened an embassy. After meeting Diaconescu, Jeremic talked with Romanian Senate President Mircea Geoana.

SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF ZORAN DJINDJIC’S DEATH MARKED

BELGRADE, March 12 (Beta) - Citizens, top officials, political party representatives and family members on March 12 marked the sixth anniversary since the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Flowers were laid on Djindjic’s tomb in the Alley of the Greats at New Cemetery in Belgrade by his widow Ruzica Djindjic, and his son Luka, together with Serbian President and Democratic Party leader Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic. Respects were also paid by Democratic Party officials Nada Kolundzija, Bojan Pajtic, Dragan Sutanovac, Dusan Petrovic, Oliver Dulic and Svetozar Ciplic, as well as Djindjic’s mother Mila Djindjic and sister Gordana Filipovic. On the anniversary of Djindjic’s assassination, Prime Minister Cvetkovic and the members of his government laid a wreath in the government courtyard, at the same place the assassination occurred six years ago. A commemoration to Djindjic was also held on the same spot by the members of the 2003 government, at 12:25 p.m. The Liberal Democratic Party invited and gathered some 5,000 citizens, who walked from party headquarters to New Cemetery to commemorate the slain prime minister. The column was led by party president Cedomir Jovanovic and party officials Vesna Pesic, Zoran Ostojic, Ivan Andric and Natasa Micic. The Serbian Archive in Belgrade opened an exhibition entitled "With an Idea and a Life the Legacy of Zoran Djindjic," which exhibits the personal possessions, notes, and library that belonged to the late prime minister. Law School student Branislav Stojanovic from Paracin is the 2009 winner of the public speaking competition dubbed "To Honor Zoran," organized by the Democratic Party and the Dr. Zoran Djindjic Fund as a part of the commemoration. JEREMIC: NO CHANGE IN RESPECT TO DJINDJIC’S POLICY

BELGRADE, March 13 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said late on Thursday that the Serbian government wanted the Balkans to have a good perspectives and to be integrated into the European Union, pointing out that things had not changed in respect to the policy pursued by late prime minister Zoran Djindjic. Jeremic assessed that Djindjic’s assassination had represented a trauma for the society, and added that Serbia would have been in a lot better situation today had the premier not been killed. "This government continues to realize the vision of Zoran Djindjic. The problems are the same, but the situation now is more unfavorable. Just like Djindjic was determined to resolve the problems in the society, our government is also resolved to do that, but, unfortunately, certain international factors still have the same attitude toward Serbia as they did before," Jeremic underlined in a Serbian Radio Television (RTS) programme dedicated to Zoran Djindjic. He said that in 2003, some factors in the international community wanted to abolish Republika Srpska, to give statehood to Kosovo, and in doing that, to make it easier for Serbia to join the European Union, which, according to him, Djindjic had not accepted.

KACIN: DJINDJIC MURDER GREATEST LOSS IN RECENT HISTORY

BELGRADE, March 12 (Beta) - European Parliament MP and rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin said on the sixth anniversary of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic’s assassination that it was the greatest loss in Serbia’s recent history. "Zoran Djindjic had a vision of a modern, reformed and European Serbia, which would have been equal with all other European Union countries," reads Kacin’s statement, which was published on March 12. "Unfortunately, Serbia stopped on March 12, 2003 and is today still slowly moving forward. The murderer and his accomplices got the punishments they deserved, but what worries me more is that the political background to the prime minister’s murder has not yet been fully uncovered and made known to the public," because that was the obligation of a true country, he said.

DJELIC: EU MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION THIS YEAR

LONDON, March 13 (Tanjug) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development, Bozidar Djelic, met in London on Thursday with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Minister for European Affairs Caroline Flint, whom he informed that Serbia had the intention of applying for EU membership this year. I told my colleagues in Great Britain, Miliband and Flint, that Serbia intended to apply for EU membership candidacy this year, Djelic said in an interview with BBC, pointing out that his country wanted to do achieve that through a dialogue with its European partners, especially with Britain. The Serbian deputy prime minister said that Serbia had taken into consideration the atmosphere that existed in the big EU member countries (such as Britain) which proved that they would like to see things move forward after the June elections for the European Parliament.

EGERESI IN STUTTGART ON COOPERATION WITH BADEN WUERTTEMBERG

STUTTGART, March 12 (Beta) – On March 12, in Stuttgart, Vojvodina Assembly Speaker Sandor Egeresi met with representatives of Germany’s Baden Wuerttemberg and discussed broadening cooperation between the two provinces. The participants in the meeting concluded that the protocol on cooperation signed late in 2008 by Serbian President Boris Tadic and Baden Wuerttemberg Prime Minister Guenther Oettinger would be a good foundation for strengthening ties, a press release said. The Baden Wuerttemberg representatives voiced support for Vojvodina’s active interregional cooperation and said Serbia and Vojvodina would in this way be active in the process of European integration. Egeresi and Erhard Strathaus, chairman of the Board for European Affairs of the parliament of Baden Wuerttemberg, agreed that it was a common interest to strengthen ties between cities and regions along the Danube, as this would boost not only political, but also economic and cultural cooperation. Egeresi said the role of Vojvodina in interregional cooperation would be stronger when the Serbian parliament confirms the Statute of Vojvodina.

SERBIA – ECONOMY, FINANCE

CVETKOVIC SAYS SERBIA IS NOT FACING BANKRUPTCY

BELGRADE, March 13 (Tanjug) - Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic has pointed out that Serbia is not facing bankruptcy, and he promised that no one will be hungry in our country because of the crisis. "Serbia is not facing bankruptcy. Budget revenues are somewhat lower than originally planned, there has been a halt in the inflow of foreign capital, but the state is duly fulfilling its current obligations and is very cautions in respect to all future expenditures, and it is undertaking steps that will help overcome the problems it is faced with," Cvetkovic said in an interview for the Belgrade daily Politika, published on Friday. He announced that the government’s platform for the Monday talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be based on an increase of deficit and decrease of expenditures. "How much and what expenditures we will have to lessen and how much we will have to increase the deficit - all this will be the main topic of the negotiations with the IMF," the prime minister added.

JELASIC: TWO-YEAR PROGRAM WITH IMF

BELGRADE, March 12 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Radovan Jelasic stated on Thursday that there is great likelihood of forming a two-year program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will include the funding for this year and the next, and that would take a lot more than USD 2 billion. According to Jelasic, Serbia needs this amount of money for 2009 only, and a two-year program would require much more funds. Arrangement with the IMF implies control over prices and greater stability of dinar exchange rate, Jelasic told the local radio television B92. He pointed out that the arrangement deal depends on what will happen with additional loans from other international financial institutions, on whether there will be privatizations, the number of direct foreign investments, whether the banks will take additional loans from abroad etc.

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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia