Belgrade, 12. 03. 2008.

SERBIA – DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES AT THE UN SC

• JEREMIC SAYS RESOLUTION 1244 MUST BE OBSERVED
• CHURKIN: SUPPORT EXPRESSED FOR UN MISSION, RESOLUTION 1244
• RUSSIA PROPOSES PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT, US AGAINST
• KHALILZAD: ONLY STANDS WHICH RECOGNIZE REALITY HAVE OUR SUPPORT
• CHURKIN: KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE VIRTUAL REALITY

• BILDT: MAKE CAREFUL MOVES WITH RESPECT TO KOSOVO
• DJELIC: EUR16 MILLION FOR CROSSBORDER COOPERATION
• PONOS:PRINCIPLED SUPPORT BY ROMANIA

• LUTOVAC WITH MONTENEGRIN DEPUTY PREMIER
• SERBIA, MONTENEGRO TO FOSTER EU INTEGRATION INITIATIVES
• SPASOJEVIC: KOSOVO SEEN AS SERBIA INSISTS

• STAND OF SLOVAKIA, MACEDONIA ON KOSOVO UNCHANGED
• ALASANIA SAYS GEORGIA WILL NOT RECOGNISE KOSOVO
• GEEKIE: UNMIK READY TO RECONSTRUCT
• KFOR STARTS EXERCISE IN NORTHERN KOSOVO
• PROTEST OUTSIDE EU - IF KOSOVO CAN, WHY NOT KASHMIR AS WELL

• DJELIC: EUR1 BILLION INVESTMENT ON HOLD UNTIL AFTER ELECTION
• NIS SALE DEAL WITH RUSSIANS WILL BE RATIFIED
• SERBIA, HUNGARY TO REALIZE ECONOMIC, SECURITY PROJECT
• CONTRACTED DEALS WORTH 20 MILLION DOLLARS
• VEROPOULOS TO INVEST EUR20 MILLION IN SERBIA

NEW YORK, March 11 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said at the UN Security Council session on Kosovo-Metohija on Tuesday that Resolution 1244 had to be fully observed and called for the immediate halt to the transfer of authority from UNMIK to any other body, including the EU mission - Eulex.

Jeremic said "we are gathered to discuss troubling developments in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, under the administration of the United Nations since June 1999. "And once again we are compelled to discuss the dangerous consequences of the unilateral, illegal and illegitimate declaration of independence by Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government-which took place on February 17th of this year.
"By doing so, a direct assault on the innate operating logic of the international system has been committed.

"For Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) places a binding, Chapter VII obligation on all member-states to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. "Those twenty-something countries that furthered the secessionist cause of the Kosovo Albanians have contributed to making the international system more unstable, more insecure, and more unpredictable.

"Recognizing the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence from Serbia legitimizes the doctrine of imposing solutions to ethnic conflicts. It legitimizes the act of unilateral secession by a provincial or other non-state actor. It transforms the right to self-determination into an avowed right to independence. It legitimizes the forced partition of internationally-recognized, sovereign states. And it supplies any ethnic or religious group with a grievance against its capital with a play book on how to achieve their ends.
"I want to be very clear. We will never recognize the attempt by the authorities in Pristina to unilaterally secede from Serbia. We call upon the countries that have recognized to reconsider, and we call on those that have not to stay the course, to help us continue to defend the international system from being fundamentally undermined.

"Let us ask ourselves with a frankness that we owe to those most directly affected by this perilous precedent, but also with an eye to those who could be in the time to come,
"Have the principles of international relations been advanced by wrenching Kosovo away from a democratically governed country?

"Will the province of Kosovo, as an entity-in-limbo that cannot acquire international legitimacy arising out of membership in the United Nations, be able to achieve sustainable prosperity without Belgrade?”And has regional stability and cooperation been increased by the perverse choice our neighbors are being forced to make-to choose between Serbia and Kosovo? "Since February 17th, the situation on the ground has been deteriorating, thus making it more difficult to control. This is not where we should be.

"Understandably, the public reaction in Serbia to Pristina's UDI has been clear and loud. "For the vast majority of Serbs, it has been a dignified reaction. Hundreds of thousands assembled in Belgrade on February 21st to express their sorrow peacefully, and to do so in worship. Young and old, rich and poor, they came from all corners of Serbia to demonstrate their opposition to the forcible partition of their country.

"It is tragic that a small proportion of those who gathered in Belgrade on that day turned to violence. The assault on foreign embassies, downtown stores, and government buildings was as unacceptable as it was deplorable.

"Allow me to extend, on behalf of my Government, my unreserved regrets to those countries whose embassies were damaged. You have our assurances that all measures have been taken to ensure that something like this does not happen again.

"Violence is not the answer. Not in Belgrade, not in Mitrovica, not in Pristina. Nowhere in Serbia is violence the answer. "But violence has been a reality for too long in our southern province. Mr. President. That which took place under a dictatorship in the 1990s was terrible and should never be disparaged.

"And yet, I remind this Council that our Serbian collective experience has been marked by the memory of what happened in the period after June 1999. In peacetime, with the United Nations present, hundreds of thousands of Serbs were expelled from Kosovo. Tens of thousands of Serbian homes were torched to the ground. Thousands of Serbs were murdered or are missing and presumed dead. And more than 150 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were destroyed.

"The province's Serbs were abandoned to carefully orchestrated and brutally executed pogroms by the Kosovo Albanians-who have been rewarded for their violent conduct.”The Republic of Serbia will not accept the imposition of an outcome that fundamentally violates our legitimate national interests.

"So long as these attempts by some to exclude us continue, we will keep coming back to this body and to all others; and will employ all legal, diplomatic and political means at our disposal to continue asserting our core sovereign rights.

"By the same token, I underline to the Council Serbia's preparedness to move constructively forward. We must overcome the danger of imposing realities that have no legal basis. For such attempts only create defensive, self-preservationist moves that drive us further apart. "We must start talking honestly to one another: to assess the decisions that have been taken, the mistakes that have been made, the threats that have arisen, and the accommodations that must be made.

"We must meet and reason together. And we must work in concert to instill the confidence necessary for all the Western Balkans to once again take bold, historic steps to a common, European future

"For I believe that none of us can afford any more missed opportunities to build trust, to seek agreement, to consolidate values, and to arrive at a just, mutually-acceptable solution that benefits us all.

"The alternative to handling this issue with great care and reverence for the UN Charter, with great respect for the reputation and legacy of UN peacekeeping, and with great concern for the credibility of the Secretary-General, is simply too bleak to fathom.
"In short, what we must do is to turn our minds from wondering what will happen next, to making us wonder at what we can still accomplish. "I would like to emphasize that Serbia wishes no ill to the ethnic Albanians in our southern province. We continue to take seriously their right to obtain substantial self-governance while remaining under a common sovereign roof with Serbia. "It is in our vital interest that all of Kosovo's communities prosper-and prosper together in peace, security and reconciliation as neighbors in a progressive society of hope and forgiveness. “This is why Serbia does not intend to impose an embargo, and why we have a clear policy of not resorting to the force of arms.

"At the same time, we will continue ensuring that the Serbs of Kosovo do not remain relegated to a fearful life of ghettoized isolation, as they have been for the last eight years. We will ensure that their future is based on tangible assurance, rather than vague promises and unlawful jurisdictions.

"Resolution 1244 must be observed in full. This is the only way to prevent a further deterioration of the situation on the ground. There must be no erosion of UNMIK's clearly defined mandate by the Security Council. Therefore, we strongly demand that no further transfer of competencies from UNMIK to any other body take place. This is all of vital importance.

"Let me assure you that the Republic of Serbia will continue to comply with 1244. Unfortunately, others have taken the divisive step of making their own interpretation to suit some short-sighted purposes.

"It is a great pity that some European countries have joined in this dubious exercise. First by recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence by the authorities in Pristina, thereby gravely setting back the region's European prospects. And then by establishing EULEX and the affiliated International Steering Group of countries.

"Both EULEX and the ISG have set for themselves the goal of assisting in the implementation of the Comprehensive Proposal for Kosovo Status Settlement-the so-called Ahtisaari Proposal. But the Proposal has never been endorsed by the Security Council-the only institution endowed with the power to legitimate changes in the nature of the international presence in Kosovo.

"It is therefore the basic position of the Republic of Serbia that both EULEX and the ISG operate well outside the parameters set forth by Resolution 1244-and that their activities are strongly inconsistent with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

"Let me be clear: It is not that the EU is unwelcome in our southern province. For we do welcome, as a matter of principle, any demonstration of Europe's deepening commitment to our country, including Kosovo. "But there has to be a clear legal mandate for any such commitment-and this can only be achieved by getting the approval of the Security Council. We must work together to overcome this problem within this very forum.
"President Boris Tadic spoke a few days ago of our willingness to sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union immediately. Despite our present troubles, I wish to reaffirm this principled position-one which a solid majority of my countrymen share. "Our heritage, our culture, our beliefs, and our history are profoundly European. Europe has developed into a storehouse of values that creates stability and security in our historically divided continent. It has become the antidote to isolation, protectionism, fear, extremism, and war. It brings people together, expands markets, points to a more prosperous tomorrow, solidifies the gains made, and inspires attempts at resolving differences in line with the higher aspirations of humankind, instead of giving in to our basest instincts.
"To construct and to integrate, and so to grasp the infinite opportunities that the 21st century offers to the bold and to the visionary. That is the kind of Europe to which we are committed, and to which we hope to belong. "Regrettably, we have come to the chasm. Let us now try to join together in order to build a bridge over it. To look beyond the immediate divide, and to secure a future in Europe for the entire region.

"The Republic of Serbia stands ready to be a constructive partner in the achievement of regional peace, stability, and reconciliation. We are committed to open dialogue and good-faith negotiation with all. And we continue to be faithful to the principles of international law.
"The Republic of Serbia is ready. We are ready to host a series of meetings with UNMIK on a whole host of issues, such as the status of the Kosovo Serb population and that of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the question of customs points, and the status of Kosovo Serb judges and policemen in our southern province, as well as on all others.
"We have to solve concrete problems. We have to address the real life concerns of the province's most vulnerable. And we have to pay attention to the human cost of our actions. "For every day that goes by without working towards some sort of agreement creates unsustainable hopes, irrational fears, and dangerous, uncoordinated outcomes on the ground. "Let me repeat Serbia's principled, deeply-held position that regional peace and security can be consolidated through dialogue, not imposition; through agreement, not compulsion; and through law, not might.

"Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the tragic assassination of Serbia's first democratically-elected prime minister, Dr. Zoran Djindjic.

"He was the engine of our democratic success, and the visionary of our place in Europe. "A month before he was murdered, Dr. Djindjic wrote a series of letters to world leaders on the question of Kosovo's future status in Serbia and Serbia's future status in Europe. He wrote of his vision of a Serbia as proud of its European future as it is proud of its national past. He wrote about the importance of preserving our identity while broadening its scope. And he wrote that-quote-the worst option is for things to happen in Kosovo without our participation, and without our objective responsibility-end quote.

"Well, the worst option, as Djindjic called it, has been attempted by people who should have known better. These outside actors chose to sacrifice regional geo-strategic priorities on the altar of the extremist communal aspirations of the Kosovo Albanians. And they chose expediency over statecraft.

“The international system wobbles precariously as a result.

"But it can be steadied. By acting together, I believe we can overcome our differences on Kosovo in the weeks and months ahead.

"Elections will take place in Serbia in May. The result will be a turning point for my country, and for all the Western Balkans. “For it will be a time of great decision.

"Real, concrete differences exist on economic and social issues, and on the crucial issue of Serbia's future in Europe.

"Each citizen of Serbia will be called on to make a clear and compelling choice.

"But let me be clear on what this election will not be about.

"It will not be about Serbia's policy towards its breakaway province of Kosovo and Metohija. "Make no mistake, on this fundamental issue-on this question that concerns the very nature of the identity of our nation-there is no disagreement in Serbia. My country is strongly united on Kosovo. And we will always remain so.

"We will continue defending our sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We will remain steadfast in our determination to help our brethren overcome their present discontent. "And we will build on our unity forged by Kosovo to preserve a democratic Serbia that is whole and free, and comprehensively engaged with a world community strengthened by the reaffirmation of the legitimacy of the international system.

"Kosovo shall remain a part of Serbia forever.

"Thank you, Mr. President, for having given me the opportunity to address this Council at a time of great consequence for us all," Jeremic said, addressing the UN SC.

NEW YORK, March 12 (Tanjug) - Chairman of the UN Security Council, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, said in New York late on Tuesday that it was very important that during the UN Security Council session, support had been expressed for the UN Mission in Kosovo and Resolution 1244, adding that Russia had proposed a draft statement which required a continuation of negotiations.

Churkin told reporters at the UN Headquarters that during the session, Russia had proposed a draft statement in which it demanded a continuation of negotiations on Kosovo status and that "many SC member countries had backed the document.
The draft, which Russia's Itar-Tass had an insight into, expresses adherence to the preservation of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all countries in the Balkans within their internationally recognized borders.

The document, as Itar-Tass reported, points to the need to renew the dialogue on defining Kosovo future status, all on the basis of and in keeping with Resolution 1244.
Addressing the reporters, Churkin assessed that after the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence, the international community was disoriented, the situation in Kosovo had become confusing, that Serbia was politically unstable, and that certain separatist groups were announcing similar moves, while some countries were concerned over their territorial integrity.

The Russian diplomat reiterated that Russia did not accept the legality of the EU mission - EULEX and the International Steering Group, since they went beyond the framework of Resolution 1244.

NEW YORK/MOSCOW, March 12 (Tanjug) - Russia included late on Tuesday a draft presidential statement in the procedure of the debate of the UN Security Council, which confirms adherence to the sovereignty, territorial wholeness and independence of all Balkan countries within their internationally recognized borders, which the US and Great Britain immediately opposed to, Russian media have reported from the world organisation headquarters.
Russia, who assumed the rotating SC presidency on March 1, proposed that the Council insisted on the need that the mandate of international presence be strictly observed and fully realised, as well as that concern be expressed over the unilateral moves that destabilised the situation in Kosovo and in the region.

The draft document points to the statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon that the UN Mission in Kosovo continues to regard UN SC Resolution 1244 as the basis of its mandate, and calls for a continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in seeking a solution to future Kosovo status with the assistance of the international community.
However, US Permanent Representative to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad reacted at once, assessing that the proposed draft presidential statement had no chance of being adopted, since, as he put it, it did not reflect the situation in the region, Itar-Tass reported.
British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers said, on the other hand, that in order to accept such a statement, many countries (that have recognized Kosovo independence) should first have to change their position.

Our position has not changed, the British diplomat said.

Russia's official state news agency reported, referring to diplomatic sources, that the draft presidential statement would not be discussed in the Security Council, and that it was possible that the document be shortly debated on at an expert level.

NEW YORK, March 12 (Tanjug) - US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said late on Tuesday that the United States will not back any stands on Kosovo which do not recognize the reality and facts, and that is Kosovo's independence.

Anything that ignores what happened and does not deal with the facts, will not have our support, the US ambassador told the press following the UN Security Council session, adding that what happened in Kosovo cannot be undone. The US ambassador to the UN assessed that Serbia and Kosovo have a joint future.

NEW YORK, March 12 (Tanjug) - Chairman of the UN Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, assessed in New York late on Tuesday that Kosovo independence would not represent a (true) reality, but rather a virtual reality, as long as the Security Council did not reach a joint stand on the issue.

I do not accept that a new reality has presented itself, Churkin told journalists when they asked him to comment on the assessment by his US counterpart Zalmay Khalilzad that the reality of independent Kosovo should be accepted.

This is virtual reality which will not be recognized as international reality as long as a united stand is not reached, he added.

Without an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, and an agreement within the Security Council there will be no final solution for this issue, Churkin said at the UN Headquarters after a session of the Security Council.

US Ambassador to the world organisation Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters shortly before that that the US would not back in the Security Council the stands on Kosovo which did not recognise, as he put it, the reality and facts, that is the independence of Kosovo.
All that ignores what has happened and does not deal with facts will not have our support, the US Ambassador to the UN said. What happened in Kosovo cannot be annulled, Khalilzad added.

LONDON, March 11 (Tanjug) - Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt assessed on Tuesday that the situation in Serbia - following the declaration of independence of Kosovo and ahead of the expected early parliamentary elections - was very complicated and that the West in the coming period must be very careful when it makes moves regarding Kosovo.
The West in the coming months, and perhaps years, will have to be very careful when it makes moves concerning Kosovo, said former EU and UN envoy for the Balkans in an interview with the BBC.

BELGRADE, March 11 (Beta) - Since the start of the year, the EU has approved Serbia EUR16 million from its preaccession funds for crossborder cooperation projects, according to Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic.

At a March 11 news conference, Djelic said that similar projects were backed with EUR11 million from 2004 to 2007, adding that the available sum was boosted because of good results.

The aim of these endeavors is to develop areas along borders, which are generally underdeveloped except in the north of Serbia, Djelic added.

The deputy PM went on to say that Serbia was approved EUR199.9 million in preaccession funding in 2008, adding that the country needs to become adept at using structural funding from the bloc to bolster its human resources as well as foster rural and regional development.

Josep Lloveras, head of the European Commission delegation to Serbia, said that the crossborder projects have shown that borders are not an obstacle to cooperation and can even encourage development.

He added that so far Serbia has undertaken projects of this sort with Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, adding that the current focus is on Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia Herzegovina.

In addition, Lloveras emphasized the European Commission's satisfaction with Serbia's approach to and enthusiasm for crossborder cooperation.

BUCHAREST/BELGRADE, March 11 (Tanjug) - Serbian Army Chief of General Staff Gen. Zdravko Ponos has said that Romania's armed forces representatives had reiterated the principled support of that state for Serbia on the issue of the illegally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija.

With Commander-in-Chief of the General Staff Admiral Gheorghe Marin and State Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning Corneliu Dobritoiu I also discussed the security situation in the region and we established that we have close and even identical views on a number of issues, Ponos told Tanjug.

With respect to bilateral military cooperation we defined fields of mutual interest and these are training and joint exercises, Ponos said in a telephone statement to the national news agency.

PODGORICA, March 11 (Tanjug) - Montenegrin Deputy Premier Vujica Lazovic on Tuesday informed Serbian Ambassador Zoran Lutovac that the building of close relations with Serbia is one of the foreign-policy priorities of Montenegro.

"Regional cooperation and the building of close ties with Serbia, based on principles of equality and mutual respect, are at the top of the list of priorities of Montenegro's foreign policy," Lazovic said during talks with Lutovac.

The ranking officials agreed that, in order to build the best possible relations between the two countries, it is necessary to formalize cooperation through agreements in the area of transportation and the foreign-trade policy, and to work on the resolving of the status of firms and property-legal relations.

The beginning of the work of the Serbian Embassy in Montenegro will provide strong impetus to the dynamization of cooperation and communication between the two states, Ambassador Lutovac said, as quoted in a statement.

PODGORICA, Mar 11 (Tanjug) - Serbia and Montenegro should work together and with other Balkan countries on joint initiatives for speeding up their integration in the European Union, Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister for Integration in Europe Gordana Djurovic and Serbian Ambassador to Podgorica Zoran Lutovac said Tuesday.

They noted that the two governments have very good cooperation regarding integration in the EU, especially with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic and Serbian government Office for Integration in Europe.

The existing economic cooperation is a good basis for fostering bilateral relations, they said, noting that good cooperation between the two countries' institutions is very important for fostering relations and endeavors for integration in the EU, the Montenegrin government said.

SOFIA, March 11 (Tanjug) - Secretary of State Dusan Spasojevic with the Serbian Defense Ministry said that the topic of Kosovo and Metohija was seen at the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) defense ministers' meeting in Sofia on Tuesday precisely as Serbia wishes and insists.

"We carried off another diplomatic victory in Sofia, and practically won over the huge majority of the participating states for our stands," Spasojevic said in a telephone statement for Tanjug.

The Serbian delegation to the meeting entitled 'Defence Policy: For Security, Cooperation and Development of South East Europe' presented "our stand in principle that we do not agree with the imposing of a solution in South East Europe," he said.

The meeting is attended by defense ministers of Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Moldavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and Serbia.

"We also announced that we do not agree in essence with the imposing of artificial deadlines and that it is dangerous that ethnic conflicts or matters pertaining to the self-determination of national minorities or communities should be resolved practically by the secession of parts of territories of sovereign states," he said.

"Our voice was heard very clearly and unequivocally on the subject of the resolving of the future status of Kosovo and Metohija" at the meeting, Spasojevic said.
"The adopted joint declaration fully includes Serbia's stands and we also carried off another important victory, perhaps in the most important area - in the area of our own region," he said.

BRATISLAVA, March 11 (Tanjug) - Slovakian President Ivan Gasparovic reiterated on Tuesday that his country will not decide soon about whether it will recognize the independence of Kosovo, while Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski said Skopje will make the decision when the time is right and in keeping with top state interests.
Slovakia needs time to decide whether it will recognize Kosovo, and that could take several years, Gasparovic told a press conference in Bratislava after talks with Crvenkovski, agencies reported.
Crvenkovski said his country will take into consideration the stand of the European Union (EU), but that Macedonia's interests will be the decisive factor. Macedonia is not a part of that problem, or a part of the process of finding a solution for Kosovo. Macedonia's future does not depend on developments in Kosovo. There is a risk, but the key question is how Macedonia will secure inter-ethnic stability in the country, Crvenkovski said.

NEW YORK, March 11 (Tanjug) - Georgia has not and will not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, Georgia's permanent representative to the United Nations Irakli Alasania said on Tuesday.

Addressing a news conference, Alasania said that Tbilisi believed that it was completely evident that states' territorial integrity had to be observed.

At the same time, he criticized Russia's March 6 decision to get out of the regime of sanctions which the Commonwealth of Independent States members had imposed on unrecognized Abkhasia, which seceded from Georgia in 1996.

Russia's move is not conducive to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the region, Alasania said. Abkhasia, which had the status of autonomous republic, and South Ossetia, which was an autonomous region, seceded from Georgia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Both of them operate as unrecognized states, with all elected bodies of power.

PRISTINA, March 11 (Tanjug) - UNMIK spokesman Russell Geekie said on Tuesday that the international mission was ready to act in keeping with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, but that it was ready to reconstruct itself.

Geekie told Tanjug, following announcements that the EU's goal was that UNMIK leaves Kosovo and Metohija by June 14 this year so that Euleks can take over its competences, that UNMIK was ready to reconstruct itself in keeping with the changed circumstances. Geekie said that UNMIK would continue to be the executive power within UN SC Resolution 1244.

The UNMIK spokesman said that for the time being, their mandate was unchanged but reiterated that they were working, talking with everyone to find a way forward.
Geekie said that UNMIK and the United Nations always cooperate with the EU and its representatives in the context of a well thought through planning and that they will continue to cooperate in that field.

ZUBIN POTOK, Mar 11 (Tanjug) - KFOR tactical unit North started Tuesday maneuvers in the region of Lake Gazivode, in northern Kosovo.

The NATO forces in the province announced this will "help their units deploy in a better way and gain proficiency in performing their tasks".

The exercise focused on deployment of radio equipment for better communications, KFOR said in a statement.

On Wednesday, 100 troops with equipment will be deployed.

The statement also says that the exercise would help KFOR "continue ensuring a safe and secure environment in this part of Kosovo".

BRUSSELS, March 11 (Tanjug) - Several dozen protesters originating from India's Kashmir region, protested outside the headquarters of the European Commission (EC) and the European Union (EU) Council in Brussels on Tuesday, demanding that the Kosovo precedent be applied on Kashmir and that this region be given the right to unilateral secession from India.

The protesters chanted slogans stating that if Kosovo can, why not Kashmir as well, and the protest ended without any incidents.

Ali Raza Syed, president of the Brussels-based Kashmir Center which organized the protest, said they had come to remind officials of European institutions and the international community that Kashmir, like Kosovo, has the right to self-determination. They have been fighting for independence from India for sixty years, but to no avail, he said. Their struggle evidently is of no interest to the media, but they deal with the subject of Kosovo, Syed said, asking why Kashmir cannot be independent like Kosovo.

India is opposed to the independence of Kosovo, among other things, because it fears Kosovo would set a precedent for the case of Kashmir.

Nevertheless, the European Union is trying to convince the global public opinion that the case of Kosovo is unique, in an effort to justify its unilateral moves - moves that bypassed the United Nations (UN) Security Council and violated the UN Charter.

BELGRADE, March 11 (Beta) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said on March 11 that the investors who have been planning to invest EUR1 billion in Serbia are waiting to see the outcome of the May 11 general election.

"If the proEuropean option led by Serbian President Boris Tadic wins, Serbia will achieve the goal of attracting EUR3 billion worth of investment, we will have singledigit inflation and Serbia will obtain EU membership candidate status," Djelic told journalists.

If this does not happen, Djelic added, Serbia will face fewer investments and macroeconomic instability.

He went on to say that Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica "decided to bring down the government," because he had given up on leading the country into the EU. "We will all have to take a stand on that," Djelic said.

Chief of the European Commission delegation to Serbia Josep Lloveras said that the European Commission and the EU have affirmed Serbia's European prospect.

According to him, this is also proven by a statement by Olli Rehn, who said that Serbia can sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement as soon as it meets all the requirements.

BELGRADE, March 11 (Beta) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic on March 11 said that he expected the next Serbian cabinet and parliamentary convocation to back the energy agreement with Russia.

"The Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia were united on the matter of the energy agreement, practically the whole government stood behind that deal, and it's likely that the agreement will be ratified," Djelic told reporters.

According to Djelic, after the parliament is disbanded the government will not be able to put laws up for ratification.

Russia and Serbia on Jan. 25 signed the text of the energy agreement foreseeing Russian Gazprom buying a 51 percent stake in the Serbian Oil Industry for EUR400 million, with an investment of at least EUR500 million by 2012.

BELGRADE, Mar 11 (Tanjug) - President of the Management Board of the Center for Civilian-Military Relations Miroslav Hadzic and Hungarian Ambassador to Belgrade Sandor Pap signed Tuesday an agreement on a donation for a research project on economy and security and economic dimension of Serbia's membership in the Partnership for Peace program and possible accession to NATO.

The project will involve a public debate on this issue to enable Serbia's society to discover this dimension in this crucial time for the country.

The project will take eight months and will be financed with 20,000 euros by Hungary and 10,000 euros by Norway, Hadzic told Tanjug.

BELGRADE, March 11 (Tanjug) - In the past month, several Serbian farmers visited three big international fairs in cooperation with the USAID and contracted deals worth 20 million dollars, chief of the USAID Mission Michael Harvey said on Tuesday.

Addressing a seminar on marketing, he said that out of the 20 million dollars, 1.7 million was realised in less than one month and that the delivery of fruit from Serbia to Russia and France had already started.

Harvey said that those who lived outside Serbia were not aware of the quality of Serbian products and added that agricultural produce offered a great potential and represented the best basis for the expansion of Serbia's export. He said that this year, USAID would financially and technically support the joint appearance of 12 SMEs from Serbia at the forthcoming Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad on March 13-17, through its Agribusiness and Economic Security projects.

BELGRADE, March 11 (Beta) - Greek retail chain Veropoulos on March 11 announced that it will invest EUR20 million in projects already approved in Serbia.

According to a news release from the company, Veropoulos has so far invested EUR40 million in Serbia and has built and opened three retail stores in Belgrade in five years. The fourth store is currently under construction, whereas the building of the fifth is now beginning.

Veropoulos plans to keep growing and investing in the Serbian economy at the same pace, as well as to continue creating new jobs in the country, the news release said.

The Super Vero stores currently employ 400 workers, with another 250 people set to find jobs in the new stores.