REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

 SUTANOVAC: IF PEOPLE MOVE OUT, FIGHT WILL BECOME POINTLESS

SERBIA

RESOLUTION OF OIC FOR RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE REJECTED

DAMASCUS, May 24 (Tanjug) - At the foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Damascus the resolution tabled by Saudi Arabia calling on all Islamic countries to recognize the unilateral proclamation of independence of Kosovo-Metohija was rejected. Syria, Egypt, Azerbaijan and several other OIC member states submitted amendments to Saudi Arabia’s resolution proposal, so that the final version of the adopted resolution does not call on recognition of Kosovo-Metohija and it does not mention Kosovo as a state, Tanjug was told in Serbian Foreign Ministry. The ministry said that Serbia has, with the support of allied countries in OIC, succeeded in halting the new planned wave of recognition of Kosovo independence.

OIC MEMBER STATES OPPOSE RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE

BELGRADE, Mat 23 (Tanjug) - Serbian ally countries in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are submitting amendments to Saudi Arabia’s resolution at the OIC Conference in Damascus in order to neutralize the document or to exclude the request of official Ryiadh for recognition of the unilateral proclamation of independence of Kosovo. As was told in Serbia’s Foreign Ministry, Minister Vuk Jeremic has for the past two days been in constant communication with more than 15 foreign ministers of OIC member states with the aim to prevent recognition of Kosovo independence. The Belgrade delegation cannot attend the OIC session, since Serbia is not a member of the Conference. At 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Syria capital, Saudi Arabia submitted a resolution which requires all Conference member states to recognize independence of Kosovo and provide full support to their Muslim brothers in the province. The resolution also exerts pressure on 19 OIC member states to announce the recognition at the very session. Among the countries pressured to acknowledge Kosovo independence and support the Saudi Arabia resolution are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Benin, Brunei, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar, Togo and Yemen. The OIC headquarters are in Saudi Arabia, and the organization gathers 57 states with the total population of 1.3 billion people.

AMB. PETROVIC: DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL COOPERATION

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Tanjug) - Newly appointed Serbian Ambassador to the U.S. Vladimir Petrovic has stated in an interview published by The Voice of America that Belgrade’s priority is the development of cooperation between the two countries, primarily the economic,cultural and educational cooperation. Petrovic stated that during the recent visit of the U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to Belgrade "it was legitimized that we do not agree upon the status of the southern Serbian province Kosovo-Metohija, and that, since we agree to disagree, we will have to turn to other things, i.e. to positive development of relations of our two countries." According to him, the economic cooperation currently comes first. Belgrade will now focus on the improvement of economic relations, which have been good so far, Petrovic evaluated, adding that the aim is to attract U.S. small and mid-sized enterprises to invest in Serbia. Cultural cooperation is also one of Serbia’s priorities, the ambassador stated, because cultural exchange is a good way to strengthen political relations. Educational cooperation is developing as well, mainly in the area of student exchange. Several Serbian officers currently attend military colleges in the

RADMANOVIC: SERBIAN - BIH RELATIONS SHOULD BE RAISED TO HIGHER LEVEL

BELGRADE, May 25 (Tanjug) - Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic, who arrivs on an official visit, has said that his objective is that the relations between Serbia and BiH, which have been burdened by the past for some time now, be improved as soon as possible and that they be raised to the highest possible level. "I think this is also what Serbia wants. President (Boris) Tadic has proved that on several occasions, particularely by his visit to Sarajevo. He demonstrated the conception the authorities in his country have in respect to their neighbours. We in BiH should also do something like that. This is why my visit to Serbia is in fact a return visit," Radmanovic said in an interview for the Monday edition of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. He pointed to the fact that his visit had been "burdened" by the fact that his two counterparts, representatives of the Croatian and Bosniac nation, would not come to Belgrade. "They have their own reasons, but I do not agree with them," Radmanovic said, and added that the fact that the advisers of Haris Silajdzic and Zeljko Komsic had cancelled their trip to Serbia "does not help us show that BiH as a whole wants to improve the relations." "However, I do hope that President Tadic and myself will be able to make steps forward. The goal of all of us in the region is to build good relations with our neighbours. This is also a tacit condition for admission into the EU. Unfortunately, of its three neighbours, BiH has good relations only with Montenegro, but its relations with the other two neighbouring countries are getting worse every day," he said.

TADIC & GRUEVSKI ON MPC-SPC RELATIONS

SKOPJE, May 25 (Tanjug) - Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said that President Boris Tadic had expressed willingness to help resolve the disrupted relations between the Macedonian Orthdox Church (MPC) and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). Gruevski and Tadic met at the recent inauguration of Macedonia’s President Djordje Ivanov. "I got the impression that President Tadic wants to help us settle this issue, which, although of ecclesiastical nature, affects the political relations between the two countries," Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) quoted Gruevski as saying.

DACIC: RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBIA AND RS SHOULD IMPROVE

BANJA LUKA, May 24 (Tanjug) - Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told the reporters in Banja Luka that relations between Sarajevo and Belgrade should improve. Dacic, who is taking part in the 6th annual gathering of South East Europe officials organized by the RS parliament, said that the statement of the Croat member of BiH Presidency Zeljko Komsic that Serbia "messed with the devil" by issuing arrest warrants for 19 persons involved in ’the case of Dobrovoljacka street’ says that somebody wanted to "politically interfere in the verdicts, and the indictments they relate to." "We must quench rather than fan the flames," Dacic said, adding that "it seems that some people learned nothing from the past." "If anyone is guilty they should be held responsible, even if they are a presidency member or a president of a country," he underscored. Dacic added that judicial bodies should deal with the issue. "As far as I am concerned, as interior minister I want to normalize and simplify relations. All other issues should be handled by politicians," he pointed out. He thinks that political issues should be separated from the ones related to war crimes. The international warrants were issued upon the request of Serbia’s War Crimes Prosecution for the arrest of 19 people suspected of committing war crimes against Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) soldiers in Dobrovoljacka street in Sarajevo in 1992. By order of BiH Security Minister Tarik Sadovic, the BiH Interpol requested the Lyon Interpol that these warrants be withdrawn.

DJELIC SUBMITS REQUEST TO JAPAN FOR GRANTING YEN LOANS

BELGRADE, May 24 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Bozidar Djelic submitted a request to Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasutoshi Nishimura for granting yen credits for financing projects in the area of environmental protection and communal infrastructure. After the meeting with Japanese delegation, Djelic told the reporters that these loans will be used for two projects, which are purifying exhaust gases from the thermo electric power plant Nikola Tesla and solving the problem of wastewater in Belgrade, but in other municipalities as well. According to Djelic, the total value of each project would be EUR 200 million. "Yen credits are most favourable in the world, with an interest rate from 0.6% to 1.7%, a repayment period from 15 to 20 years and a grace period from 5 to 7 years, perhaps even ten years," Djelic underscored. The deputy prime minister reiterated that he and Nishimura also disussed bilateral relations. Nishimura pointed out that these two ecological projects are very significant for Serbia and expressed hope that they will soon be realized.

MUNTER: STRONGER U.S. SUPPORT TO SERBIA

BELGRADE, May 23 (Tanjug) - The U.S. policy towards Serbia and the region, after the visit of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, will remain on the same course, but it will be stronger, the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Cameron Munter said in a statement. It is important for the U.S. and for the Serbian government that the U.S. give Serbia a new incentive, Munter underscored, adding that a part of this is the Brussels policy concerning Belgrade. The U.S. cannot interfere, but as your friends, we can make this region more appealing for Europe, and that will be our job, he stated. Serbia will make sure that the U.S. have been working hard on regional projects to make all the countries in the region more successful," Munter said for Blic. The U.S. believe that efforts that Serbia is taking in order to arrest the two remaining Hague indictees are comprehensive, Munter pointed out. He also said that, as far he knows, there will be no envoy to the Balkans in the U.S. administration. We will rather resume the same course that we have followed for the past several years, and that is primarely the commitment to Serbia’s EU accession, said the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia who is leaving the post due to being offered a new appointment in Iraq.

SERBIAN RELIGION MINISTRY: CERIC IS NOT A WELCOME GUEST

BELGRADE, May 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Ministry of Religion evaluated that the "controversial" Reis-ul-Ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia-Herzegovina Mustafa Ceric, during his visit to the Islamic community in Serbia headed by Grand Mufti Muamer Zukorlic, "sent very threatening and insulting messages to Serbia." The ministry’s statement says that they acknowledged the comments of Reis-ul-Ulema Ceric and have "seriosly perceived the direct and indirect threats made by this religious dignitory to Serbia and its security." "Therefore we believe that Mustafa Ceric does not deserve to be a welcome guest in our country," it is said in the statement. The ministry pointed out that the reis-ul-ulema is one of several Bosnian politicians who had access to secret war financial funds and that he is the creator of the idea of Bosniaks being a part of Turkish people and of hegemonist Bosniak ideology on Bosniak nation consisting of three ethnic groups. The statement also says that Ceric supported Kosovo-Metohija secession, as well as that the public justifiably wants to know whether Reis-ul-Ulema Ceric is threatening Serbia with war confrontation under Bosnian or Kosovo scenario and what such a reckless person was doing in Serbia anyway.

LUTOVAC ADVISES MONTENEGRO TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT AMBASSADOR

PODGORICA, May 24 (Beta) - Montenegro should propose a different candidate for ambassador to Serbia, Serbian Ambassador in Montenegro Zoran Lutovac said. In an interview, Lutovac told Montenegrin state TV that diplomatic relations between Serbia and Montenegro "were not reduced to the level of charge d’affaires" after Belgrade declared Montenegrin ambassador Anka Vojvodic a persona non grata in October last year. Lutovac said that it was "not usual" in diplomatic practice for a persona non grata to be renominated for ambassador. "Ordinarily, another candidate is nominated," Lutovac said, adding that he personally held former Montenegrin ambassador Anka Vojvodic in the highest esteem. Lutovac also called Montenegro’s decision not to take reciprocal action against him as Serbia’s ambassador in Montenegro "an intelligent move." Lutovac said that that the possibility of a simultaneous appointment of ambassadors to both Pristina and Belgrade was "a delicate question." He reiterated that Montenegro was conditioning establishing diplomatic relations with Kosovo on the inclusion of Montenegrins in the Kosovo constitution and the return of a large number of refugees from Montenegro to Kosovo.

SRECKOVIC: REMITTANCES FROM DIASPORA MAINTAIN STABILITY

BELGRADE, May 25 (Tanjug) - Diaspora Minister Srdjan Sreckovic believes that in spite of the global financial crisis, the Diaspora will send more money to Serbia than in the previous years, which will significantly contribute to the macroeconomic stability of the country and preservation of citizens’ standard of living. Given that we expect less foreign investments, the level of Diaspora remittances should be the same or higher than in the past years, when we received some USD four billion per year, and even USD 4.9 billion in 2007, Sreckovic told Tanjug. In the interview for the national press agency, Sreckovic said that a seventh part of all economics values in Serbia come from the Diaspora remittances, and consequently it is important for the creators of the domestic economic system to become aware of the Diaspora’s economic potential. Sreckovic expects that along with the remittances, the Diaspora will continue to assist the regions in Serbia by investing into them.

SERBIA – EU

TADIC EXPECTS ACCELERATION OF EU EXPANSION PROCESS

BELGRADE, May 25 (Tanjug) - President Boris Tadic has expressed belief that parallel to the mitigation of impacts of the economic crisis and the finalization of this year’s election processes in some EU member countries, the process of expansion that is supposed to include the West Balkan countries will be accelerated once again. "With the integration of the West Balkan region, we will minimize the threat of new clashes in this unstable area of ours. And this is why the policy of joining EU has no alternative, and why there can be no real solution without the integration of the West Balkans," Tadic said on Monday evening, in a live broadcast with the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). In the meantime, as he pointed out, Serbia has to work on the strengthening of its economic potentials, it has to seek for alternative markets and improve its relations with the countries outside the EU, and it has to do all this without changing its strategic goal. The last-week visit of US Vice President Joseph Biden is of great importance in this context, since he expressed open support, on the behalf of the US administration, for Serbia’s European aspirations and said that Serbia would not be conditioned by the demands to recognize Kosovo or to join NATO in order to be admitted into the EU, the Serbian president underlined. Tadic said that Serbia, just as the EU and the US expected from it, would continue to pursue a principled regional policy of peace respecting the integrity of its neigbouring countries.

JEREMIC: WEST BALKANS NEEDS MORE ACTION, FEWER PROMISSES

ATHENS, May 25 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic reiterated in Athens the official position of Belgrade that EU membership represented the supreme national interest of Serbia, and pointed out that on its EU pathway, the West Balkans needed more action and fewer promises. "Across our continent, we hear voices saying.that post-Lisbon constitutional uncertainty, coupled with the global financial meltdown, has the effect of making the EU unable to absorb Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans.The government of Serbia does not subscribe to this fatalistic point of view. We will get to the finish line - crisis or no crisis," Jeremic said. Addressing the participants of the 13th Annual Economist Government Roundtable on Driving the New Agenda for Global Recovery in the Greek capital, the foreign minister said that the leaders in the region should focus their attention on achievable goals. When it comes to Serbia, the most attainable objective is visa liberalization, he underlined. "Freedom of movement, the right to travel visa-free, is an embodiment of what the EU is to the average citizen of Serbia. Restrictions on travel to Europe should be lifted... There should be no such thing as a second-class European," the Serbian minister said, adding that the issue needed to be resolved in the near future. Speaking about the proceedings before the ICJ, which is to rule on the legality of the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence, Jeremic pointed out that the judicial process had to be allowed to run its course, free of political interference, and that until the decision was reached, no pressure was to be made for new recognitions of the province’s independence. The Serbian foreign minister said that new recognitions of Kosovo independence should not be encouraged and that multinational bodies should not be pressured to extent membership to the "secessionist authorities in Pristina." "Serbia’s strategic decision to contest the Kosovo issue at the International Court of Justice - by prevailing in the UN General Assembly - constituted a paradigm shift in favour of peace in the Western Balkans," he said. The initiatives that encourage certain countries to recognize Kosovo, before the final ruling by this court, "could only upset the unstable equilibrium on the ground, which is surely not in anyone’s interest," Jeremic stressed. He added that he wanted to use the opportunity to reaffirm the gratitude of his country to the vast majority of UN member states, including Greece, for their principled respect of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Elaborating on the priorities of Serbia’s foreign policy, he said that they included the strengthening of regional cooperation in the West Balkans. "Serbia is an indispensable anchor of stability in the Western Balkans - a critical component in the achievement of the central strategic priority our countries share: membership in the EU," the Serbian foreign minister said, adding that Belgrade, "under the leadership of President Boris Tadic, will continue with (its) responsible and constructive policies."

DACIC: EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPORT POSITIVE

BELGRADE, May 22 (Tanjug) - Deputy Premier and Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dacic, said that the report the European Commission had used on visa liberalization was positive and that Serbia had made huge progress in almost all the fields envisaged by the road map. "Basically, the report is very positive and it assesses that Serbia has made huge progress in almost all the fields which the road map envisages, and it also specifies that in order to achieve even better results, it is essential to improve the material and financial status of the interior and other ministries that deal with this issue," Dacic told. He reminded that the report had been made following the recent visit of several experts of the European Commission to our country and their estimate of the progress Serbia had made in fulfilling the conditions of the road map leading to visa liberalization. What remains to be done is that the member countries give their opinion on the report, after which an official proposal is supposed to be given for the abolishment of visas for the people of Serbia, the interior minister underlined, adding that a debate on the issue could take place in the coming months.

DELEVIC: I EXPECT DEFREEZING OF SAA AND INTERIM AGREEMENT

BELGRADE, May 25 (Tanjug) - Director of Serbian European Integration Office Milica Delevic stated that she hopes that the report of ICTY Chief Prosecutor Brammertz in June will enable the defreezing of the Interim Trade Agreement and the SAA with the EU and that the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers in June will be an opportunity to do this. Delevic reiterated that Serbia decided to start implementing the Interim Agreement unilaterally since February 1, and that in the first three months, due to unpaid taxes on goods imported from the EU, Serbia lost EUR 17 million. At a business breakfast organized by the Serbian American Chamber of Commerce in Hyatt hotel, Delevic warned that projections show that losses at a monthly level and in the future period could be at least EUR 5 million. Pointing out that Serbia’s EU accession is the government’s strategic priority, she evaluated that implemention of laws that are necessary for EU accession is much more important than the fact when they will be adopted. I hope that Serbia will be ready to join the EU in 2012, Delevic said.

GALLACH: WE EXPECT GOOD NEWS FOR SERBIA

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Tanjug) - Spokesperson of EU Foreign Policy and Security Chief Javier Solana - Cristina Gallach announced that Brussels could shortly issue fresh statements concerning Serbia, underscoring that Serbia is the crucial country in the Balkans and an important EU partner. The EU has close cooperation with Serbia, which has done a good job in view of meeting conditions for the visa liberalization, Gallach told Cologne-based Deutsche Welle. Gallach said that full cooperation between Belgrade and The Hague tribunal would be one step forward on Serbia’s EU path, adding that Hague Prosecutor Brammertz is preparing a new report which should present clear proof of Serbia’s full cooperation.

ALFANO: ITALY WILL BE SERBIA’S SPOKESMAN IN EU INTEGRATION

BELGRADE, May 23 (Tanjug) - By the decision of Justice Minister Snezana Malovic the courtroom no. 2 of the Special Court for War Crimes and Organized Crime will, as of Saturday, bear the name of Italian judge Giovanni Falcone, who was murdered on May 23, 1992. Expressing gratitude for the gesture of his Serbian colleagues, Italian Justice Minister Angelino Alfano stated that Italy will be Serbia’s spokesperson on its path towards the EU. Through Italian Ambassador to Serbia Alessandro Merola who attended today’s official naming of the courtroom after the Italian symbol of fight against mafia, Alfano invited the representatives of the Serbian Justice Ministry to a G8 summit meeting to be held in Rome. Serbian Justice Minister stated that the courtroom which will bear the name of judge Falcone is a monument of friendship between Serbia and Italy, but also a tribute to all victims of organized crime. According to her, the number of threats she receives and which she did not want to comment shows that the newly adopted Asset Forfeiture Law has had a more severe impact on organized crime in Serbia than inprisonement. "Serbia has destabilized crime, thanks to the work of brave people in the police force and Special Prosecutor’s Office," she stated, pointing out that Serbia was never ashamed of asking for advice from the best in the field - the Italian prosecutors. She announced that she will soon sign an agreement with her Italian counterpart on the two countries’ cooperation in the fight against organized crime. Italian Ambassador underscored that one must fight mafia and organized crime with weapons that will hit their soft spot - and that is money and power. Expressing gratitude for Serbian Minister’s decision to name a courtroom after the judge Falcone on the anniversary of his assassination, Merola evaluated that this gesture indicates that Serbia and Italy have united in the fight against organized crime in a new concept of international security.

KOSOVO – METOHIJA

MOSCOW EXPECTS LEGAL NOT POLITICAL ICJ RULING

MOSCOW, May 22 (Tanjug) - Russia expects that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on Kosovo and Metohija will be legal, not a political one, Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) Committee on International Affairs Chairman Konstantin Kosachev stated Friday. Kosachev said that Russia, as well as several other countries, have handed in their statements on the unilateral declaration of independence of the Serbian southern province and that they are "detailed" and "prove that the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence is contrary to the international law". We expect an appropriate ICJ judgment, a legal not political verdict, the Russian MP said, adding that if that was the case "Kosovo would not be able to join any international organization, including UN". Such a ruling would halt Kosovo’s recognition, but it probably would not undo the whole process. Thus, Kosovo representatives would be motivated in a different way and compelled to negotiate with Belgrade officials again, Kosachev said.

SUTANOVAC: IF PEOPLE MOVE OUT, FIGHT WILL BECOME POINTLESS

BELGRADE, May 25 (Tanjug) - We must not allow that because of our diplomatic fight, the people in Kosovo suffer sanctions, Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac has said. "Kosovo is Serbia to the extent to which the people that live in Kosovo are able to realize that. If they move out, the diplomatic fight will become pointless," Sutanovac said for Politika, published on Monday. "Along with the diplomatic struggle, we have to fight a parallel battle for a better life of all the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija, particularly the most imperiled ones, i.e. the non-Albanians. According to what US Vice President Joseph Biden has said, we can conclude that cooperation is possible in terms of a better life," he added.

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