Belgrade, 10. 02. 2010.

BELGRADE, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic conferred Tuesday with the new US Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick on the cooperation of the Serbian Police (MUP) with their American colleagues and the political situation in the country.

In a friendly discussion, Dacic introduced the ambassador Warlick to the results of his recent visit to the USA and the plans of MUP to continue the cooperation with American colleagues, the Ministry of Interior has released in a statement. During the meeting, Dacic pointed out that "the political situation in Serbia is stable and that the aim of the coalition gathered around the Democratic Party is that the current government remains in power until the end of its mandate."

Warlick pointed out that she will do everything it takes to strengthen the cooperation between Serbia and the USA, and that the US Embassy will work on the realization of MUP's plans mentioned during Dacic's last-week visit to the States. She expressed great satisfaction with the plans on the enlargement of the MUP's peacekeeping mission in Haiti and the engagement of its members in the scope of the EU missions in Congo and Afghanistan, the statement reads.

BELGRADE, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said Tuesday that the new law on implementation and enforcement should enable fast and efficient enforcement of court decisions, and underlined that the introduction of a new legal profession - private bailiff, is the key change in the enforcement proceedings reform.

The main goal of the new law is to shorten the whole process from the very beginning to the final realization of rights, Malovic said while opening a public debate on the bill on implementation and enforcement, drafted by the working group of the Ministry of Justice. The major innovation to be introduced by the law is the twofold way of implementation of court decisions, the minister said, adding that the law envisages enforcements to be determined by the court, and conducted by the court and bailiff.

US Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick expressed satisfaction for taking part in the public debate on, as she put it, such an important document that will have great influence on Serbia's economic future. She assessed that without an efficient mechanism for enforcement of court decisions the efficiency of justice itself is put into jeopardy, pointing out that the ability of a state to secure justice is reflected in the way it implements court rulings.

NOVI PAZAR, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - The Ambassador of Greece to Belgrade Dimostenis Stoidis expressed hope Tuesday that Serbia might join the European Union by 2014 if it meets the necessary conditions.

After meeting Novi Pazar Mayor Meho Mahmutovic, Stoidis commended the economic potentials of Novi Pazar and of Raska, Tutin and Sjenica municipalities. He was visiting Novi Pazar with a delegation of the Hellenic Business Association in order to foster Greek investments and Greek-Serbian economic cooperation. Pointing to great Greek-Serbian friendship, Mahmutovic said that now is an ideal opportunity for Greek investments in Serbia. He told the press that he offered to Vero supermarket Manager Vassilios Kakagiotis to include products made in Novi Pazar in its range.

The Greek delegation expressed great interest in the economic potentials of Novi Pazar and of Raska, Tutin and Sjenica municipalities, the mayor's information advisor Ivana Milic told Tanjug. The talks also focused on tourism potentials of the region and on prospects for economic cooperation and privatization, she said.

NOVI SAD, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - Vojvodina Premier Bojan Pajtic and Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia Imre Varga noted Tuesday in Novi Sad that the successful bilateral cooperation should be pursued. More intensive activities of the Vojvodina-Hungary Economic Council would contribute to the fostering of bilateral cooperation in the future, Pajtic said quoted by a release of the provincial press office.

The Vojvodina government will continue to honor its commitments regarding important cultural projects and institutions of Serbs in Hungary, he said. Varga said that Hungary expects Serbia and Vojvodina to play an active role in the forthcoming energy summit and Danube conference to be held in Budapest. Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom will visit Belgrade soon, Varga said.

BELGRADE, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - At the meeting of Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission on Tuesday, it was confirmed that all aspects of the credit arrangement with that financial institution are being honored in full, the government's press office said in a statement.

The IMF representatives concluded that government measures alleviated the negative effects of the crisis in Serbia in 2009, and that the country's macroeconomic indicators at the end of last year were better than in the rest of Eastern Europe.

The prime minister and Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic conferred with the IMF mission, headed by Albert Jaeger, on the realization of the stand-by credit arrangement. Over the next two weeks, as part of the third review of the arrangement, the continued implementation of the agreed structural measures will be discussed, it is said in the statement.

BELGRADE, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Radovan Jelasic said on Tuesday that he is moderately optimistic about the possibility that Serbia's negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be successful, and pointed out that in the last nine years, every time the government had talks with the IMF, there were certain things which Serbia failed to do, in spite of the promises it had made.

Addressing the press in the NBS building, Jelasic underlined that the main topics of the third revision of the credit arrangement with the IMF will be cuts in the funds allocated for salaries of public employees and pensions, reduction of public expenditure and improvement of the investment climate and monetary policy. He reminded that the talks will not be focused only on the revision of the arrangement, but also on the general macroeconomic situation in Serbia, and conveyed that what Serbia should do, if it wants to follow IMF's recommendations, is to attract more investments and have less expenditures, to increase the production of exchangeable goods and boost its export, and to broaden the use of the dinar and reduce the use of euros in financial transactions.

Jelasic noted that Serbia will continue to insist that the third installment of the IMF loan totaling EUR 350 million be withdrawn in May this year, provided that the revision of the arrangement proves as successful. The governor pointed out that in this way, Serbia would reach 300 percent of IMF quota, after which a higher interest rate has to be paid for the funds granted by this financial institution. Therefore, Serbia should do its best to avoid any additional withdrawing, he added.

BELGRADE, Feb 10 (Tanjug) - Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic agreed Tuesday evening that Podgorica's decision to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo is burdening current relations between Belgrade and Montenegro, adding that the Montenegrin leadership is surprised with the reaction of one part of the public in Serbia.

In our opinion, we acted with understanding and we still do, but we assessed that any further stalling on the issue is not a political option, Djukanovic said. He believes that stalling cannot help Serbia protect its interests in Kosovo the way that the Serbian state leadership sees them today.

Djukanovic stressed that, in its relations with Kosovo, Montenegro observes the real fact, which is that Serbia lost Kosovo by the Resolution 1244. Kosovo was then exempted from Serbia's legal, security and political system, Djukanovic said, adding that regional stability is important for Montenegro..

VIENNA, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - International Civilian Representative (ICR) in Kosovo Pieter Feith announced that he will present his plan for the North of Kosovo to Belgrade via mediators, adding that he will not consult Serbian authorities in view of the details, the Vienna-based News Agency APA stated on Tuesday.

Feith clarified at the meeting of the International Steering Group (ISG) in Vienna that his plan is aimed at the establishing of authorities in the North of Kosovo as part of the general decentralization, but he was reserved talking about the stand of Kosovo Serbs in view of the plan. That could take some time and it will not be easy, Feith said in Vienna on Monday. Feith also claims that his plan and measures are supported by the whole EU.

Quoting an unidentified diplomat, APA stated that the ISG has transferred one, insignificant part of jurisdiction to the Pristina authorities, adding that those are jurisdictions which are envisaged not be transferred by the constitution of the province. Namely, Pristina can now appoint directors of customs, tax offices and the national bank by itself, but the privatization agency and the supervision body will remain among the numerous areas that are in the competence of the ICO.

BELGRADE, Feb 10 (Tanjug) - EULEX Kosovo Head Yves de Kermabon has stated that the mission did not take part in drafting the strategy for the north of Kosovo, adding that he believes that progress in that part of the province is possible only through dialogue.

Although we were consulted during the drawing up of the draft, this is not a strategy of the European Union, de Kermabon said in an interview published by Vecernje Novosti on Wednesday. We believe that progress may only be made in the north of Kosovo through dialogue, step by step, and the mandate of EULEX is to support the Kosovo institutions in developing the rule of law in all parts of Kosovo, said the EULEX chief. Evaluating the political situation in Kosovo as extremely difficult and complicated and that the rule of law is the key area that has to be improved, de Kermabon said that EULEX does not support or help the so-called parallel structures in Kosovo.

Commenting on the earlier ban of entry to Kosovo for Minister Goran Bogdanovic and other Serbian officials, de Kermabon said that EULEX is not competent to allow people to enter or exit Kosovo, and that escort of delegations is in the competence of the Kosovo authorities.

PRISTINA, Feb 9 (Tanjug) - International Civilian Representative Pieter Feith and Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci called on German Ambassador to Kosovo Hans-Dieter Steinbach to personally assist the establishment of a Serbian language TV channel, which would cover all of Kosovo, the International Civilian Office in Pristina said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Steinbach should cooperate with many partners in the steering group in order to "develop an independent Serbian language TV channel that will broadcast across the whole of Kosovo" and be "up to high professional standards."

The goal is to establish a TV channel for Serbian speakers in Kosovo in 2010, and the first important item on the steering group's agenda will be an agreement on the institutional and legal status of the future TV channel, it is said in the statement.

PRISTINA, Feb 10 (Tanjug) - Kosovo parliament speaker Jakup Krasnici stated Wednesday that in case Serbs in the North of Kosovo think that they can secede, they should be aware that the ethnic Albanians in Presevo and Bujanovac are ready to join Kosovo.

If a number of Serbs is not willing to live in the northern part and believe that they can secede from Kosovo, in that case the Albanians in the Presevo Valley are ready to join Kosovo, Krasnici told the electronic media in Pristina. The strategic project of the Kosovo government and the International Civilian Office (ICO) is very important for Kosovo Serbs since, as Krasnici put it, the establishing of new municipality of North Mitrovica is an alternative which would function much better than it was the case so far.

The best solution for Mitrovica would be one municipal whole, although that is impossible at the moment. The creation of new municipalities and integration of Serbs does not imply division, but it is also not joining. That is an attempt to introduce public peace and order, Krasnici said.

PRISTINA, Feb 10 (Tanjug) - Italian Ambassador in Kosovo Michael Giffoni, who has been nominated representative of the European Union in the north of Kosovo, has stated that his role will be to make a dialogue among the communities easier.

The Italian diplomat said that he would not play a role of a mediator between Pristina and Belgrade, but that he would help a dialogue on vital issues for the communities in the north of Kosovo, and that such a dialogue would include all relevant sides, including Belgrade.

Pristina electronic media report Ambassador Giffoni as saying that he intends to depoliticize issues through dialogue and resolve those issues that concern the every day life of citizens. Belgrade has accepted the opening of the EU House in the north of Kosovo but it does not accept the project of a strategy for the north, which has been drafted by the Kosovo government and International Civil Office of Peter Feith. Under the proposal, the north of Kosovo would be integrated into the Kosovo system.