Belgrade, 06. 03. 2008.

SERBIA - PARLIAMENT BREAK ON RELATIONS WITH INTER. ORG. - GOV. SURVIVAL ?

• TADIC: NO HALT IN EU ASSOCIATION AND AGAINST REFERENDUM
• TADIC'S OFFICE: RESOLUTION NOT AIMED AT DEFENDING KOSOVO
• SERBIAN PM'S OFFICE: REASON FOR RESOLUTION IS OBVIOUS
• SERBIAN PRESIDENT AND PM HOLD DIFFERENT VIEWS ON RESOLUTION
• DULIC SAYS NOTHING ABOUT REFERENDUM QUESTION
• DULIC SAYS HE WILL RESIGN AT ONCE IF 126 MPS WANT THAT
• PETROVIC: GOVERNMENT SURVIVAL WILL BE KNOWN SOON

• KOSTUNICA: CONCLUSIONS OF EC UNACCEPTABLE
• KOSTUNICA URGES REHN TO SAY WHAT BORDERS HE RESPECTS
• SAMARDZIC: EU DOES NOT ACCEPT SERBIA'S INTEGRITY
• EC ADOPTS STRATEGY FOR WESTERN BALKANS
• SOLANA SAYS EU WILL NOT RECOGNISE OTHERS
• FISCHER FAVORS FOSTERING OF RELATIONS WITH SERBIA

• SERBIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SENDS PROTEST NOTE TO SLOVENIA
• JEREMIC IN NEW YORK FOR SC SESSION ON KOSOVO
• JEREMIC AND CHURKIN TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON KOSOVO
• LUTOVAC PRESENTS CREDENTIALS IN PODGORICA
• TACI WILL NOT CONTROL SERBS
• FOREIGN INVESTORS CONCERNED, BUT STAYING IN SERBIA
• PREPARATIONS MADE FOR INDIA IN “HEART OF SERBIA” EVENT

• SLOVENIA RECOGNIZES STATE OF KOSOVO
• ICELAND OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES KOSOVO
• US EXPRESSES SATISFACTION OVER KOSOVO RECOGNITION
• SUTANOVAC: KFOR AND UNMIK MAINTAINED STABILITY
• SCHEFFER: NATO SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED BY SITUATION IN KOSOVO
• NATO MINISTERS DISCUSS KFOR AND RELATIONS WITH BELGRADE
• HALTZEL: NATO TO ENSURE PRESENCE ON SERBIAN AND KOSOVO BORDERS
• SIMONS: NATO BACKS EU MISSION AND WILL NOT CALL RUSSINS TO KFOR
• GERMANY TO SEND 180 POLICE FOR EU MISSION IN KOSOVO
• SOUTH OSSETIA OFFICIALLY SEEKS INDEPENDENCE

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic has said that his Democratic Party (DS) will not halt the policy of bringing Serbia closer to the European Union, since he is certain that, even if new elections were to be held, the citizens would confirm their orientation both for Kosovo and for the EU, adding that he is opposed to a referendum on conditions for Serbia's association with the EU. "If the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) wish to halt talks with the EU and that this is a platform for the country's future, this would, of course, be contrary to the principles upon which the current government has been formed. DS most certainly will not conduct such a policy either in the government or in any institution," Tadic told the weekly Vreme. Commenting the resolution proposed by SRS, Tadic said that this party does not aim for the protection of Serbia's territorial integrity, but that in question is an attempt to block the country's european integrations. "No one is questioning the fact that Serbia in its entirety wants to join the EU. This is the constitutional obligation of all state organs. However, the text demands from the EU to clearly and unequivocally confirm the entirety of the state territory of the Republic of Serbia and this demand is impossible for the EU, because it has no legal or formal basis to present such a position," Tadic stated. "Even if a parliamentary majority is formed to adopt detrimental acts, then that majority should try to form a government and assume responsibility, but all this is short-lived. I will invest all my efforts to fight against the return of a destructive and irrational policy in Serbia," Tadic underscored, adding that, as president, he is not bound by such resolutions, only by the will of the people who very clearly said at the recent election that they want both Kosovo and the EU. "If the government fails to gain support from parliament for the country's foreign policy and for european integrations, then they can either form a new parliamentary majority, or we will have elections at which the citizens will retierate in a referendum manner, and I am convinced in this, that they want to join the EU and that they want us to preserve the status of Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia," Tadic pointed out. Tadic said that he is opposed to the proposal of certain parties for calling a referendum on the conditions for Serbia's EU association.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - The Serbian president's office said late on Wednesday that unlike previous resolutions on Kosovo, adopted at parliament, the resolution proposed by the Serbian Radical Paty (SRS) was not aimed at defending Kosovo-Metohija, but at blocking Serbia's European perspective. "The office of the Serbian president participated in the drafting of previous resolutions which defined the platform of the negotiating team to negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija. Each of these resolutions was proposed to the Serbian parliament by the Serbian government. A party resolution has now been offered and its aim is not to defend the integrity of the country, to defend Kosovo-Metohija, but only to block our country's European perspective," Tanjug was told at the office of Serbian president Boris Tadic office. Tadic's office said that there was no need to adopt resolutions reaffirming the country's integrity, because it had been reaffirmed by the top legal act - the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - All previous Serbian parliament resolutions have been adopted under the Constitution, they reaffirmed Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the office of the Serbian president participated in their drafting, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's office said in a statement on Wednesday, on the occasion of the draft Serbian Radical Party (SRS) resolution on Serbia's relations with the European Union. "The reason for the adoption of these resolutions is more than obvious. Serbia faces the fact that the province has unilaterally declared independence, that some countries have illegally recognised this false state and that the European Union has sent the Eulex mission to Kosovo-Metohija in violation of the UN Charter and Resolution 1244," the statement said. The statement said that the Serbian Constitution clearly said that the province of Kosovo-Metohija was an integral part of the Serbian territory and that, based on the Serbian Constitution the Serbian parliament had adopted a resolution reaffirming the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity on December 26, 2007. Cancelling the decision on the declaration of the false state in the territory of Serbia, the Serbian government on February 14, 2008 confirmed Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said. Earlier on Wednesday, the Serbian president's office said, commenting on the SRS draft resolution on Serbia's relations with the European Union, that Serbia's Constitution clearly stated that Kosovo-Metohija was an integral part of Serbia and there was no need to repeat this in a new resolution. Anyone who reads the Constitution will see no need for any subsequent confirmation of state integrity, the office said, noting that the sole goal of the authors of the draft resolution was to crush Serbia's European perspective.

BELGRADE, Mar 5 (Tanjug) - Serbia's Constitution clearly states that Kosovo-Metohija is an integral part of Serbia and there is no need to repeat this in a new resolution, Serbian president's office said Wednesday referring to a draft resolution on Serbia's relations with the European Union submitted by the Serbian Radical Party (SRS). The Constitution takes precedence over any resolution. It seems that the parties which want a new resolution wish to question and relativize the Constitution, Boris Tadic's office told Tanjug. An idea was also put forward to hold a referendum in which the citizens should decide whether Serbia should join the EU with or without Kosovo. Serbia must not imply in any way that it might accept Kosovo independence, which it would do if such a referendum were to be held, the office said. Anyone who reads the Constitution will see no need for any subsequent confirmation of state integrity, the office said, noting that the sole goal of the authors of the draft resolution is to crush Serbia's European perspective.All previous Serbian parliament resolutions have been adopted under the Constitution, they reaffirmed Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the office of the Serbian president participated in their drafting, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's office said in a statement on Wednesday, on the occasion of the draft Serbian Radical Party (SRS) resolution on Serbia's relations with the European Union. "The reason for the adoption of these resolutions is more than obvious. Serbia faces the fact that the province has unilaterally declared independence, that some countries have illegally recognised this false state and that the European Union has sent the Eulex mission to Kosovo-Metohija in violation of the UN Charter and Resolution 1244," the statement said. The statement said that the Serbian Constitution clearly said that the province of Kosovo-Metohija was an integral part of the Serbian territory and that, based on the Serbian Constitution the Serbian parliament had adopted a resolution reaffirming the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity on December 26, 2007. Cancelling the decision on the declaration of the false state in the territory of Serbia, the Serbian government on February 14, 2008 confirmed Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian parliament speaker Oliver Dulic on Wednesday did not state his view on the referendum question proposed by the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) because it violated the Constitution, Tanjug was told at Dulic's office. In connection with a statement of DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenovic that it is good that the parliament speaker supported the idea to call a referendum, the office said that this was "taken out of context" of Dulic's Wedensday statement in which he only said that he was in principle in favour of support to a referendum as a legitimate way to express the will of citizens, but that he had also called for elections in the same sentence. Mladenovic on Wednesday told Tanjug that it was evident that the DSS and Democratic Party agreed on the need for organising a referendum on whether Serbia should join the European Union with or without Kosovo-Metohija. DSS-NS Whip at the Serbian parliament Milos Aligrudic said earlier on Wednesday at the Serbian parliament that in case of a blockade of institutions this party club would propose a referendum where citizens would decide "whether Serbia can join the European Union" without a part of its territory, Kosovo-Metohija. After that, Dulic told reporters at parliament that citizens should vote on the EU at a referendum, but that he was also in favour of calling early parliamentary elections if an agreement could not be reached.

BELGRADE, March 6 (Tanjug) - I will resign immediately if I receive 126 signatures from the MPs demanding my resignation, Serbian parliament speaker Oliver Dulic has said. There will be no need for any debate on the issue, since that (signatures) would mean that I do not enjoy the trust of most members of the parliament," Dulic said in an interview for the Thursday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. If these 126 signatures include the signatures of the deputies of DSS (Democratic Party of Serbia), that is of the majority that elected me, and of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica as well, that will mean that we have a new parliamentary majority and that we will have a new Serbian government, Dulic specified.

BELGRADE, Mar 6 (Tanjug) - Serbian Justice Minister Dusan Petrovic on Thursday stated that it will soon be seen whether the government will continue to function, that is whether it is prepared to continue to pursue the policy in keeping with the principles based on which it was formed, but he could not specify when that will be certain. "The government is established on five very clear principles and the government still exists. We have serious differences in regards to an essential issue for Serbia within the government, and that is whether it is beneficial for the state and citizens of this country to continue the process of moving closer to the European Union or not," Petrovic told reporters. If we manage to find a common language on this topic, I believe that the government will continue to exist, and if not, we shall soon be able to see the prospects of political relations," said Petrovic.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Premier Vojislav Kostunica on Wednesday described as "completely unacceptable" the conclusions of the European Commission (EC) that Kosovo has clear european prospects and that in the coming period the European Union would help Kosovo through its EUlex mission. "Every citizen of Serbia knows that this means the continuation of the grossest violation of the international law," said Kostunica in a statement sent to the media by his office. Today, the EC revealed its conclusions that Kosovo has clear european prospects, noting that Pristina declared independence on Feb 17 and that in the coming period the EU would help Kosovo through its EUlex mission and by allocating one billion euros in financial aid. Kostunica set out out "it is the duty of the state of Serbia to honestly, responsibly and openly clarify with the EU whether the legal agreement it is offering to Serbia implies a whole or dismembered state." "This issue should be resolved and no propaganda can push it aside. No one is entiteled to shut their eyes before this crucial issue for the stability and future of the country," Kostunica stated. He pointed out that the EC has failed to note that the Serbian government and National Assembly have annulled the decision on the declaration of a sham state in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. "This means that the EC views as relevent the Feb 17 illegal decisions, and as irrelevent the decisions of Serbia, as an internationally recognized state and a UN member," kostunica concluded.

BELGRADE, March 6 (Tanjug) - Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunicva has called on European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn to say at once which borders official Brussels would respect in signing the agreement between Serbia and the EU, the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti reported on Thursday. "All parliamentary parties and state institutions have stated and univocally confirmed in public that Serbia should be an equal member of the EU," Kostunica told the daily late on Wednesday. "After the proclamation of the false state and after the EU decision to unlawfully send its mission EULEX for the implementation of the rejected (Martti) Ahtisaari plan, a question has rightfully been raised in Serbia - what borders does the EU recognise as those of Serbia," Kostunica underlined. The Serbian prime minister said that this question was of particular importance after the conclusions of the European Commission in which it specified that Pristina had proclaimed independence, but ignored the fact that the government and the Serbian parliament had annulled the unlawful proclamation of the false state. "State institutions and the people of Serbia demand an answer to the vital question - within which borders does the EU recognise the state of Serbia? Any agreement between Serbia and the EU implies that both sides know what Serbia's borders are," Kostunica said. "It is time that the authorised person, Olli Rehn, says what Serbian borders will the EU observe during the signing of the Serbian-EU agreement. If we are partners and if Serbia should be a member of the EU, this has to be resolved at once," the Serbian prime minister said. "This is why it would be very important for us to hear Olli Rehn's answer as to whether the EU will observe the territorial wholeness of our country in the agreements it is supposed to sign with Serbia," Kostunica said in the interview for the daily Vecernje Novosti.

BELGRADE, Mar 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said Wednesday that the European Commission conclusions on Western Balkans constitute yet another proof that the European Union does not accept Serbia in its internationally recognized borders. The same document, however, makes clear that the EU accepts the illegal declaration of Kosovo independence as a fait accompli, Samardzic told Tanjug. These two EU stands expressed in EC consclusions constitute the main obstacle to pursuing integration in the EU, to which Serbia made a commitment years ago, he said. It is hard to imagine the continuation of this process at this time, unless the EU restores the policy and attitude it had towards Serbia at the time when the Stabilization and Association Agreement was approved, he noted.

BRUSSELS, March 5 (Tanjug) - The European Commission (EC) adopted a Strategy for strengthening European prospects, in Brussels on Wednesday, a document that will be presented to the European Union (EU) foreign ministers at Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, on March 28-29, and in which Serbia is asked to confirm its dedication to closer ties with the EU. Coutries of the western Balkans are facing challenges that could have long-term consequences for their security and prosperity, the document said. The necessity to resolve the status of Kosovo has drawn attention to the region and its links with the EU, the Strategy said. The document stresses the conditions for Croatia's progress in the membership negotiations, for the opening of negotiations on Macedonia's membership, for the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Albania and Montenegro, and for the signing of the SAA with Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is expected in April. Serbia is currently facing a strategic choice regarding its future, the document said, and asked Serbia to confirm its dedication to closer ties with the EU. Regional cooperation and good-neighbor relations are now more important than ever for the advance of Serbia and the rest of the region toward EU, the document prepared by the EC said. The EU remains ready fully to integrate Serbia into the European family of nations and to sign the SAA as soon as the conditions in connection with full cooperation with The Hague International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia are met, the document said. The EC at the same time underscored that Kosovo has a clear European future. In the document, the EC pointed out that Pristina proclaimed independence on Feb 17, and that, in the coming period, the EU will help Kosovo through the EUlex mission, the office of the EU special representative, and through assistance in the amount of one billion euros in the period from 2007-2010.

MOSCOW, March 6 (Tanjug) - Kosovo is a unique case which does not create a precedent for other conflicts, and this is why the European Union will not support any proclamation of independence of the unrecognised republics in the post-Soviet region, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said on Thursday. When asked to explain why Kosovo could become independent and Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Pridnestrovie and Nagorno-Karabakh could not, Solana referred, in an interview for the Moscow daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 which had established a temporary UN administration and set the outlines of the political process that should define Kosovo's future, pointing out that the UN SC had not reached similar decisions on any other conflict.

VIENNA, Mar 5 (Tanjug) - European integration would be incomplete without Western Balkans, including Serbia, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Wednesday. Answering a recent letter by Serbian President Boris Tadic asking Austria not to recognize the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence, Fischer said that Austria has from the outset supported all endeavors for reaching a negotiated solution for Serbia's southern province acceptable to both parties. He noted that he personally and his country regret that it was impossible to find a mutually acceptable solution despite long and intensive efforts.

BELGRADE, March 6 (Tanjug) - The Serbian Foreign Ministry sent on Wednesday a protest note to the Slovenian government over the recognition of the unilateral declaration of Kosovo-Metohija independence. In accordance with the Serbian Foreign Ministry's Action Plan, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic ordered an urgent recall of Serbian Ambassador to Slovenia Predrag Filipov, the Ministry said in a statement. The Serbian ambassador must leave Slovenia in 48 hours after receiving the note and report for consultations in Belgrade.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic left on Wednesday for New York on a several-day visit to the United Nations to meet with the ambassadors of countries members of the UN Security Council and to request, in coordination with the Russian Federation, a SC session on Kosovo as soon as possible, Tanjug has learned in Jeremic's office. Jeremic, who will stay in New York until Saturday, meets on Thursday with the ambassadors of numerous countries opposed to the recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, such as, apart from the Russian Federation, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Argentine and Chile. Jeremic is counting on Russia's strong support during its March Security Council presidency as that country urges the continuation of talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija, Tanjug learned.

NEW YORK, March 6 (Tanjug) - Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, who currently presides in the UN Security Council, and Serbian Foreign Minster Vuk Jeremic will hold consultations on the latest development in Kosovo-Metohija on Thursday. The Russian mission in New York confirmed that Ambassador Churkin and Minister Jeremic will confer early on Thursday, but it did not give any details. The Russian mission could not answer whether and when a new session of the UN Security Council on Kosovo will be held. "The new development of the situation is possible after the meeting of the Russian ambassador to the UN and the Serbian foreign minister," said the press secretary of the Russian mission, although she confirmed there is no such sitting in the agenda of the Security Council for March, Itar-TASS reported.After the meeting, the Serbian foreign minister, currently on a visit to New York, will have consultations with representatives of states that critically met the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo-Metohija, such as China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Argentine and Chile. Minister Jeremic will back the continuation of negotiations on the Kosovo-Metohija status and demand that the UN Security Council's session on the status of the south Serbian province, which unilaterally declared independence on February 17, be held as soon as possible.In this, he will certainly have a strong support of Russia, which also advocates the continuation of the negotiations on Kosovo's status and finding of a mutually acceptable resolution.

PODGORICA, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Ambassador to Montenegro Zoran Lutovac on Wednesday presented copies of his credentials to Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen, the Montenegrin ministry said in a statement. The statement said that Rocen had voiced his belief that the beginning of operation of the Serbian Embassy in Podgorica and activity of the Montenegrin Embassy in Belgrade would stimulate the promotion and reinforce of relations between the two neighbouring states in their mutual interest. Rocen conveyed Montenegro's readiness to build the best possible relations with Serbia on the basis of mutual appreciation with the aim of strengthening good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation and achievement of the common European perspective. The statement quoted Lutovac as saying that Serbia was committed to promoting its already enviable relations with friendly Montenegro, adding that there were numerous possibilities for their further strengthening and voicing readiness to give his constructive contribution to that end.

VIENNA, March 6 (Tanjug) - The security situation in Kosovo-Metohija is currently stable and Serbs in the province are not more threatened than they were before the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo Albanians, but KFOR has to guarantee safety for all citizens, Dragan Sormaz, deputy chairman of the Serbian National Assembly Defence and Security Committee said in an interview for Frankfurtske Vesti on Thursday. Commenting on the announcement by Hasim Taci that the Kosovo interim institutions will take over the control of the entire territory of the province and protect its borders, Sormaz said that Taci does not even have control in Prisitina let alone in Zubin Potok. "Taci can only send out political messages, but the factual situation is completely different from what he is talking about," Sormaz pointed out, adding that Taci's "authority is not enforced and that he does not have either judges or police." "In order for him to take over the sovereignty of the territory of Kosovo, Resolution 1244 would have to be nullified and KFOR and UNMIK would have to withdraw," the DSS official pointed out. "Should something like that happen, Serbia would certainly not sit with its arms crossed and let someone else govern its territory without a decision by the UN Security Council, since it is known what is envisaged by our Constitution and by international law," Sormaz pointed out.

BELGRADE, March 6 (Tanjug) - Foreign investors are not hiding their concern over the current political situation in Serbia, but are determined to continue doing business, according to the majority of statements that can be heard these days in the public. Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) spokesman Aleksandar Miloradovic has told Tanjug that in his assessment the current political situation was affecting adversely the interest of foreign investors in our country. He explained that foreign investors could be divided into two groups - those who are already present on our market, and those who are not, but are very interested. The first, according to Miloradovic, are very concerned and are in the process of decision making whether to continue doing business in our country, or to look for an alternative location. Those who have not yet invested funds in businesses in Serbia are postponing their decision, or are giving up on the investment and are openly saying that the reason is the uncertain political situation. Such a situation in the long term could have unforeseeable consequences for Serbia's economy, Miloradovic assessed. On the other hand, however, Foreign Investment Council (FIC) president Stein-Erik Vellan recently assessed that in Serbia exist conditions for long term stability and announced that he would call on investors to consider Serbia when they make decisions about new investments. He, after a meeting with Serbian government representatives on Monday, held a meeting with foreign and domestic investors, voicing satisfaction with the clear and favorable message and guarantees made by the government, and pointed out that Serbia would become even more competitive in the coming years for new investments. A similar reaction came from American Chamber of Commerce to Serbia president Dejan Cvetkovic, who welcomed the government's message of a stable and predictable ambiance for investment, underscoring that Serbia needed urgently to enter the European Union and attract direct foreign investments in order to improve the standard of living of citizens. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said, following a meeting with investors, that the government would ensure macroeconomic stability, property security, dynamism of economic growth and the concrete solving of obstacles to investments.

KRAGUJEVAC, March 5 (Tanjug) - Indian Ambassador to Serbia Ajay Swarupa conferred in Kragujevac on Wednesday with representatives of the Regional Chamber of Economy about the activites aimed at preparing the India in the Heart of Serbia event, to be held in Kragujevac on April 8-11. Our wish is to bring India closer to the inhabitants of Sumadija and Serbia, the Indian ambassador said at the Chamber, which organises the event together with the City of Kragujevac and Serbian Investment Promotion Agency (SIEPA). It was said that the business cooperation between Indian and Serbian companies had started from an initiative which the Indian ambassador had made during his visit to Kragujevac in December 2006 and that the event was expected to produce significant results.

LJUBLJANA, Mar 5 (Tanjug) - Slovenia recognized Wednesday the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence with an overwhelming majority of votes at an extraordinary session of its parliament. The government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa submitted a proposal to that effect on February 21, four days after Kosovo independence was declared illegally. Of the 67 MP's present, 57 voted in favor. The only groups to object the proposal were the opposition National Party and a group of independent MP's who explained that they would not support Kosovo's independence because this would be a harmful and rushed step. Addressing the parliament on behalf of the government, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said that in its decision to recognise Kosovo the government had followed the conclusion of the Kosovo negotiations troika that a continuation of talks between Pristina and Belgrade would not yield a new solution due to differences in views when it came to the key question of Kosovo's sovereignty. The government was also guided by the finding that the Kosovo Assembly adopted on 17 February the declaration of independence as a legitimate expression of the will of the majority of Kosovo's population, he said quoted by Slovenian agency STA. Rupel stressed that this decision was not directed towards Serbia and that Slovenia was adopting it as part of the EU's policy and the policy of the international community.

REYKJAVIK, March 6 (Tanjug) - The Government of Iceland has officially recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Iceland has announced. Iceland notified the Serbian Government and Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci on the decision it made on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Tanjug) - The United States expressed satisfaction late on Wednesday over the fact that a great number of countries, including a few members of the European Union, had already recognised Kosovo's independence. We expect new recognitions (of Kosovo), State Depratment spokesman Tom Casey said on Thursday evening. The US, the EU, NATO, and the international community in general have worked for years on the resolution of the situation in Kosovo, and final status has been achieved, he added. Answering to the questions of the press, Casey underlined that it was now important that the international community made effort not only to ensure security in Kosovo, but also to provide economic assistance for the people and the government of Kosovo.

BELGRADE, March 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said on Wednesday that the members of the KFOR and UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija province managed to preserve stability in conditions of aggravated tensions. The communication between the Serbian Army (VS) and KFOR is satisfactory, Sutanovac told reporters after touring a building site in Belgrade's Bezanijska Kosa district where apartments are being built for VS personnel. There would have been destabilization in Kosovo and Metohija without the presence of the international forces, the defense minister pointed out. Sutanovac appealed to everyone in Kosovo and Metohija to understand that maintaining tensions is not conducive to the resolving of problems and that a conflict could break out "because there are living people on both sides."

BRUSSELS, March 6 (Tanjug) - NATO should be encouraged by the fact that that there has been no outburst of violence in Kosovo after the proclamation of independence, Allience's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Brussels on Thursday, addressing the participants of a session of NATO foreign ministers. We should all be encouraged by what we have not seen after the proclamation of independence, Scheffer said. There has been no inter-ethnic violence, there has been no massive movement of refugees, and there have been no organised attacks on holy sites, which is positive, he said. Scheffer, however, warned that the situation was not stable, which was why, as he put it, they were now discussing a number of aspects of the Kosovo issue.

BRUSSELS, March 6 (Tanjug) - The foreign ministers of NATO member countries will discuss on Thursday the operations and expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance, in scope of which they will also discuss the security situation in Kosovo and relations with Belgrade, NATO spokesman James Appathurai has said in Brussels. We will discuss the developments in Belgrade and the consequences this may have for a wider region, Appathurai said, and added that he expected NATO would reiterate that it was waiting for Belgrade's signal that Serbia was willing to have, as he put it, closer ties with NATO.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Tanjug) - NATO should ensure the presence of its troops on all Serbian borders and in northern Kosovo, US analyst Michael Haltzel of the Johns Hopkins assessed in a panel discussion that was held in Washington on Wednesday. If Belgrade continues with its policy of self-isolation from the Euro-Atlantic community and begins gravitating towards the status of a Russian satellite, even if only temporary, it would be good to ensure NATO's presence on all Serbian borders and in northern Kosovo, Haltzel assessed, and the Voice of America reported.

MOSCOW, March 5 (Tanjug) - NATO supports the intention of the European Union to send a police mission to Kosovo and, so far, does not plan to invite Russian troops to take part in Kfor, NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons said in Moscow on Wednesday. The fact is that the EU is preparing to deploy a separate mission in Kosovo and to create an administrative structure that will replace the UN mission there ... NATO will support that process, Simmons stated. Simmons told a press conference in the Interfax news agency that the Alliance has assumed the responsibility to continue, on the basis of neutrality, to act in Kosovo in order to secure the safety for all groups of the population. This activity has been carried out on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Simmons stated.

BERLIN, March 5 (Tanjug) - The German government on Wednesday decided to send 180 police troops as part of the EU mission in Kosovo (EUlex), German government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm has announced. Eulex will be made up of at least 1,829 people, of whom 1,400 will be police officers, and the rest lawyers and customs officials, Wilhelm set out. Serbia is opposed to the EU mission in Kosovo which it considers illegal, because the decision on it was adopted outside the United Nations. Wilhelm added that in Kosovo, the EU aims to establish a legal, police and customs system which would be a multiethnic one and in keeping with international standards.

MOSCOW, March 6 (Tanjug) - Following the example of Kosovo, South Ossetia, which in the 1990's seceded from Georgia, officially asked the world community on Thursday to recognize its independence from Georgia.South Ossetia, which declared independence in the early 1990s, filed a request at the United Nations, European Union states and Russia to recognize it as a sovereign state, the South Ossetian authorities officially confirmed. The region's local assembly passed a resolution on Wednesday, which says that South Ossetia wants to follow the example of Kosovo. "The 'Kosovo precedent' is a convincing confirmation that the resolution of regional conflicts is based not only on the principle of a state's territorial integrity," the document said.