Belgrade, 13. 05. 2008.

• TADIC SENDS CONDOLENCES TO PRESIDENT OF CHINA
• FORMATION OF JOINT COMPANY WITH GAZPROM IN JUNE
• MICEVIC: INVESTMENTS MUST BE MORE THAN EUR500 MILLION

• EULEX TO START WORK ON JUNE 15
• SERBIAN ELECTION IN KOSOVO ILLEGAL, SAYS SEJDIU

BELGRADE, May 12 (Tanjug) - The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) said in a statement on Monday that, on the basis of 95.16 percent of the processed polling stations, the For European Serbia - Boris Tadic list won 38.75 percent of the vote, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) 29.22 percent, the DSS-NS (Democratic Party of Serbia -New Serbia) coalition 11.34 percent, the parties gathered around the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) 7.57 percent and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 5.30 percent of the vote. The minority parties that crossed the threshold are the Hungarian coalition, which got 1.86 percent of the vote, the Bosniak List for a European Sandzak - Sulejman Ugljanin with its 0.92 percent of the vote, and the Albanian Coalition of Presevo Valley with 0.39 percent of votes. Data show that the For European Serbia - Boris Tadic list was backed by 1,561,465, SRS by 1,177,214, and the DSS-NS coalition by 457,092 people with the right to vote. The SPS-PUPS-JS coalition was backed by 305,057 citizens and LDP by 213,749. Minority parties also gained the trust of the citizens - the Hungarian coalition was backed by 74,819 voters, while the Bosoniak List for a European Sandzak - Sulejman Ugljanin and the Albanian Coalition of Presevo Valley got 37,184 and 15,834 votes, respectively. Director of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia Dragan Vukmirovic told a news conference that certain changes were possible, particularly when minority lists were in question. A total of 4,029,249 citizens, that is 61.01 percent of the electorate, voted at the May 11 elections.

BELGRADE, May 13 (Tanjug) - According to the latest data presented by the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) late on Monday, the For European Serbia - Boris Tadic list won 38.44 percent of the vote or 102 seats in the Serbian parliament, while the Serbian Radical Party - Vojislav Seselj (SRS) won 29.36 percent of the votes, or 78 seats. The DSS-NS - Vojislav Kostunica list won 11.59 percent of the votes, or 30 seats, SPS-PUPS-JS won 7.60 percent, or 20 seats, and LDP - Cedomir Jovanovic list won 5.24 percent, or 13 seats. The lists of ethnic minorities - the Hungarian coalition - Istvan Pastor won 1.83 percent, or four seats, Bosniak List for the European Sandzak - Sulejman Ugljanin won 0.92 percent, or two mandates, while the Coalition of the Presevo Valley Albanians won 0.39 per, or one seat.

BELGRADE, May 12 (Tanjug) - The organisation of the elections in Serbia was good and they were carried out in keeping with the standards for democratic elections of the Council of Europe (CE) and the OSCE, which made it possible for the voters to decide freely, heads of the CE and OSCE observing missions stated in Belgrade on Monday. Head of the Delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Jean-Charles Gardetto told a news conference that he was impressed by the turnout which proved the trust the voters had in the election process. The Serbian people expressed their will freely, Gardetto said. Now it is necessary that the new parliament meets the expectations of the voters, which also includes the need of setting up a functional and efficient coalition that will be capable of working to the benefit of the people of Serbia, he added. The representatives of the international observation mission, which comprises of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said that some minor irregularities had occurred during the election process, but that it was the accusations and treats that had been addressed to certain top officials during the pre-election campaign that had cast a shadow on the whole process.

BRUSSELS, May 12 (Tanjug) - European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana expressed hope on Monday that a new Serbian government would be set up soon, which would be strongly committed to reforms and the fulfillment of conditions for Serbia's further progress towards the European Union that would give it all possible support on that path. I would like to congratulate the people of Serbia on the free and peaceful parliamentary elections, Solana said. I hope that the new government will be set up soon, which will be strongly committed to reforms the fulfillment of the required conditions for further progress towards Europe, the high representative said, and added that the European Union would give all the support it could to such a government. After the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), the country is now in a good position to make speedy progress, Solana assessed.

BRUSSELS, May 12 (Tanjug) - European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed on Monday the success of reform forces which shared the European values, and pointed out that that should enable a speedy setting up of the new Serbian government. I welcome the peaceful and orderly Sunday parliamentary elections, Rehn said in a statement. The European Commission has been informed of the preliminary election results and it welcomes the success of reform forces that share our European values, Rehn said, assessing that that should enable a speedy setting up of the new government. He also expressed belief that the new government would continue realising the country's reform agenda and its path towards the European Union. Serbia can become the driving force of the West Balkans and the EU is ready to speed up its path towards us, including the possibility to grant it the status of candidate, said European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Tanjug) - The U.S. State Department congratulated the people of Serbia on the successfully held parliamentary elections and said that in the process of forming a new government the political parties in Serbia should look towards a new future with the European Union. "We have, of course, encouraged Serbia to look forward, not backwards, and look towards a different kind of -- a new future with Europe and the European Union," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. The initial indications are that there's a -- one party will have a plurality in terms of being able to lead the efforts to form a coalition government. Those decisions, however, are going to be up to the Serbian people and the Serbian leaders how they arrange themselves politically," said McCormack.

ZAGREB, SARAJEVO, BANJALUKA, SKOPJE, PODGORICA, May 12 (Tanjug) - Countries in the region welcomed Monday the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Serbia, noting that the victory of pro-European parties will help both Serbia and the entire region in their endeavors for integration in Euro-Atlantic structures. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said that the Serbian parties which see the country's future in united Europe have prevailed, which is a positive development for all states in the region of the former Yugoslavia, including Croatia, making their prospects for EU integration better. President of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Ministers Nikola Spiric said that the leadership of the list headed by Serbian President and Democratic Party (DS) leader Boris Tadic is good for Serbia. The elections demonstrated the deep political divisions in Serbia, which its people will be paying for for a long time to come, he said. Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj welcomed the successful elections in Serbia and said that Bosnia wants a pro-European country in its neighborhood. The Macedonian government said that the elections sent a strong signal that democracy and its values are now firmly rooted in the Balkans. The elections in Serbia demonstrated once again that the Balkan region is firmly on the way towards integration in Euro-Atlantic structures, government spokesman Ivica Bocevski said. Representatives of Montenegrin authorities and opposition welcomed the outcome of the elections, noting that they show that Serbia has opted for development and the EU. Political Director of the leading Montenegrin Democratic Party of Socialists Predrag Sekulic said that the people of Serbia have demonstrated democratic maturity and that the outcome shows that they decided to take the democratic path.

ROME, May 13 (Tanjug) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini expressed satisfaction on Monday over the European choice of the Serbian voters. The election process was realised in a regular manner after the election campaign that was held in an atmosphere of constructive ideas, which is a sign of the civic and democratic maturity Serbia has achieved, the Foreign Ministry in Rome said in a statement. As the Italian ANSA news gency reported, the Ministry specified that Italy, having in mind its profound ties and friendship with Serbia, confirmed its resoluteness to assist the current reforms in the that country, as well as to speed up its path towards the European Union.

BERLIN, May 13 (Tanjug) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated on Tuesday the pro-European forces in Serbia on their victory at the parliamentary elections and assessed that the results of the elections clearly showed that most of the inhabitants wanted Serbia to approach the European Union. The chancellor congratulated over the phone Serbian President Boris Tadic on his victory at the parliamentary elections and welcome the efforts he was making to set up a coalition government so as to continue, as she put it, the pro-European orientation in a consistent manner, the German government said in a statement. The results of the elections, according to the assessment by the German government, clearly proved that a majority of the Serbian people want to get closer to Europe, Deutsche Welle Radio reported.

BERLIN, May 12 (Tanjug) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier congratulated on Monday Serbian President Boris Tadic and his political bloc on the victory at the elections and voiced hope that the new Belgrade government would be set up soon. I hope that the new government will be set up soon and that together with it we will make further steps in the direction of Europe, Steinmeier underlined. As the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Steinmeier assessed that difficult tasks would present themselves before the Serbian government, and added that that referred in particular to a successful finalisation of the launched process of transformation. The vision of a stable, democratic and European Serbia has a future, the German foreign minister said, pointing out that that was good news for Serbia as well as for Europe. He assessed that pro-European forces, gathered around President Tadic and Minister of Economy Mladjan Dinkic, had won an evident victory, which represented a starting point for the forthcoming setting up of the government. I cordially congratulate on this victory, Steinmeier underscored and added that the results of the elections clearly showed that most of the people of Serbia wanted to go in the direction of Europe. This also proves that our decision to make an European offer to Serbia was a right move, Steinmeier said, pointing out that most of the people in Serbia wanted to join Europe, which was why we had to continue going down that path.

MOSCOW, May 12 (Tanjug) - The results of the Serbian parliamentary elections, which, according to preliminary data, show that the bloc of President Boris Tadic is in the lead, will not change the friendly nature of the country's relations with Russia, first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky assessed on Monday. Current President (Boris) Tadic and leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (Vojislav) Kostunica stand at opposite political poles - the first wants to head towards the European Union, cost what it may, and the second is not ready to open the Pandora's box of Kosovo independence, Slutsky said.According to the Russian deputy, regardless of who the dominant figure in the future convocation of Serbian parliament will be, the direction of Russian-Serbian relations will not change, ITAR Tass reported.

Bratislava, May 12 (Beta) - The Czech Republic hopes that after voters demonstrated their proEuropean orientation, Serbia will obtain a stable government that will strengthen the country's international position, the Czech Foreign Ministry said on its website on May 12. It added that the Czech Republic is ready to assist Serbia on its European path. "The large turnout confirms the voters' clear interest in political events in Serbia. The convincing victory of the ticket "For a European Serbia" led by President Boris Tadic confirms the voters' proEuropean orientation," the ministry said.

The Czech ministry expressed the hope that the election victory will translate into a stable government, which will be able to strengthen Serbia's position as the key country of the Western Balkans. "The Czech Republic is ready to offer its assistance and the broadest possible support to Serbia," the ministry added. The Slovak Foreign Ministry said that the special parliamentary elections in Serbia have confirmed Serbia's orientation toward achieving European and democratic standards. Bratislava expects from Serbian leaders to responsibly approach the talks on the formation of a new government. "The elections demonstrated the voters' interest in integration in the EU. Slovakia consistently supports the integration aspirations of the Western Balkan countries, including Serbia," the Slovak Foreign Ministry said on its website.

Dubrovnik, May 12 (Beta) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on May 12 congratulated his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic on the election victory, adding that it will not be easy for Tadic. When journalists asked him to comment on the Serbian election, Mesic said in Dubrovnik that "the Serbian Radicals are strong" and are an option that does not give up on set goals and plans. Asked whether he thought the future Serbian government would have a proEuropean course, Mesic replied that this remained to be seen. As far as the possible reflection of the Serbian election results on the situation in Croatia is concerned, Mesic said he was confident that "nothing is threatening Croatia."

BANJALUKA, May 12 (Beta) - Republika Srpska President Rajko Kuzmanovic on May 12 congratulated his Serbian counterpart and Democratic Party leader Boris Tadic on his ticket's success in the general election. In a message to Tadic, Kuzmanovic wished him and his associates success in their work and the continuation of cooperation and the development of friendly relations with Republika Srpska institutions. "I am convinced that Serbia will in the future manage to further stabilize the political situation and achieve economic progress, while preserving the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Kuzmanovic said.

SKOPJE, May 12 (Beta) - Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski has welcomed the Serbian citizens' choice of a European future for their country, the president's office told BETA."President Crvenkovski has welcomed the democratic and fair election in neighboring Serbia and the will of its people to choose a European future for their country, which is a choice shared by the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and is in the interest of all in the region," the office said.

Macedonian government spokesman Ivica Bocevski told BETA that "the Macedonian government will cooperate with every democratically elected and legitimate government of the Republic of Serbia." "The Macedonian people will respect every decision by their neighbors, the citizens of Serbia. The last Serbian general election has once again confirmed that the Balkan region is on a steady march to EuroAtlantic integrations, and that in this region elections are a holiday for democracy," Bocevski said.

PODGORICA, May 12 (Beta) - Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic congratulated Serbian President and Democratic Party leader Boris Tadic on the victory of the "For a European Serbia" coalition in the parliamentary elections, expressing his conviction that following the win, cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro will be strengthened. The victory of proEuropean forces in Serbia is, according to Vujanovic, a confirmation of and encouragement to the "sure path" of the country to the European Union.Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen welcomed the outcome of the election in Serbia, stating that the victory of proEuropean forces "is of particular importance, not only for the future of Serbia, but also for the future of the region as a whole."

BELGRADE, May 12 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic sent a telegram of condolences to President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao over the massive deaths of people in a devastating earthquake which stroke the Chinese province of Szechwan. "The citizens of Serbia are deeply moved with the loss of a large number of lives. Please receive my deepest condolences and tell the families of the deceased and to the people of China that we sympathize with them at this difficult time," President Tadic said, and the president's press service announced.

Novi Sad, May 12 (Beta) -The general director of Srbijagas, Sasa Ilic, stated on May 12 that "most likely in June" a joint company will be formed with Russianbased Gazprom, which is to realize the projects envisaged by the energy agreement between Serbia and Russia. At a press conference at the Novi Sad Fair, Ilic said that the contract on forming the SrbijagasGazprom joint company is completely ready, but that nothing will happen until May 25."I am expecting that the annex to the contract will be signed, in order for the date of forming the joint company to be moved, and that all planned activities will be continued as normal. I believe that June is the time for that," Ilic said.

He emphasized that the construction of the major South Stream pipeline is of utmost importance for Serbia's power supply. Ilic added that the underground storage facility for natural gas in Banatski Dvor is ready to store gas and that the technical tests which would allow this are currently in progress.The general director's investment adviser, Srdjan Kostovic, said that the first phase of the storage facility's construction allowed the storage of 300 million cubic meters of gas, and that by the end of the construction the depository will have a capacity of 800 million cubic meters.

BELGRadE, May 12 (Beta) -The necessary investments in the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) must be more than the EUR500 million anticipated by the energy agreement between Serbia and Russia, stated the director of the Serbian Oil Industry Center for Corporate Communications, Tomislav Micevic. At a press conference at the Novi Sad Fair, Micevic said that the management of the national oil company had concluded that the anticipated sum is not satisfactory and that there is sufficient room for the obligatory investments to increase after NIS is privatized. Micevic also said that, regardless of the further fate of the agreement between Serbia and Russia, which is not under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Oil Industry, the oil company is working hard to create the best possible conditions for concluding the agreement."NIS is not deciding on this because the entire completion of the energy agreement is in the hands of the Serbian government," Micevic said.

PRISTINA, May 12 (Tanjug) - The EULEX mission will start work on June 15, when the Kosovo Constitution will go into effect, international civil representative Peter Feith said Monday, Albanian-language media in Pristina said. EULEX will provide advisory services in implementing the UN Envoy Ahtisaari's plan, Feith said after meeting Kosovo Premier Hashim Thaci. Quoting EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon, Feith said that consultations are underway on establishing the mission throughout Kosovo.

PRISTINA, May 12 (Beta) - Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said on May 12 that the Serbian election process in Kosovo was illegal, but added that it was important for all countries of the region to have democratic governments. "This entire process is illegal as far as Kosovo is concerned and it is good that the UNMIK chief reacted and declared these processes illegal," Sejdiu told reporters. The Kosovo president did not wish to comment on the Serbian election results and the victory of Serbian President Boris Tadic's coalition, because, as he put it, "it is the Serbian people's business to whom they give mandates."

"It is important for us to have the whole region headed toward democratic processes and European integration. It is also important to reiterate that Kosovo is interested in good neighborly relations with everyone, which in this case includes Serbia," Sejdiu said. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said that the Serbian election results have shown that its citizens favor a EuroAtlantic future. Thaci added that such results are above all positive for the people of Serbia, as well as for regional stability. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said that the victory of Serbia's democratic forces is good news and that the forming of a democratic government would facilitate cooperation within the region.