Belgrade, 31. 01. 2008.

• PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FACE OFF IN TV DUEL
• ZIVKOVIC: RELATIONS BETWEEN BIH AND SERBIA AT LOWEST LEVEL

• FRATTINI, DJELIC START TALKS ON ABOLISHING VISAS
• DJELIC: CANDIDATE STATUS, VISA REGIME CANCELLATION BY END OF YEAR
• FRATTINI SAYS EU'S DOORS ARE OPEN TO SERBIA
• VERHAGEN: SERBIA TO OPT FOR EU OR AGAINST IT
• RASMUSSEN AND JANSA: SEND POSITIVE SIGNALS TO BELGRADE
• BULGARIA FAVORS CLEAR EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE FOR SERBIA
• EU MEMBERSHIP SUPPORTED BY 75 PCT OF SERBIA'S CITIZENS
• MODERNIZATION LEADS TO EUROPE, WHITE

• GREECE CALLS FOR UNIFIED EU STANCE ON KOSOVO
• RUECKER SENDS PROTEST LETTER TO KOSTUNICA, CONTACT GROUP
• THACI: PRESIDENTIAL VOTE NOT AFFECTING KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE
• SUTANOVAC: SECURITY OF CITIZENS IN KOSMET MOST IMPORTANT
• EU PREPARES PERSONNEL FOR KOSOVO MISSION
• REEVE: COUNCIL OF EUROPE DECISION NECESSARY FOR EU MISSION
• BERISHA: TO OPPOSE SERBIAN EMBARGO WITH EU,NATO HELP

• SERBIA GETS ADVANCE PAYMENT FROM IRAQ FOR WEAPONS DEAL
• NOVI SAD WINS TOURISM AWARD AT FAIR IN MADRID
• INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INCREASES BY 3.7 PERCENT IN 2007
• BULGARIA'S KAOLIN TAKES OVER VALJEVO NONMETALS MINE

BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Beta) - The presidential candidates of the Serbian Radical Party and the Democratic Party, Tomislav Nikolic and Boris Tadic, respectively, appeared in a TV duel on the Serbian national television RTS in the evening on Jan. 30, in their final attempt to win over citizens for the programs they advocate, prior to the Feb. 3 runoff.

In the opening speech, Nikolic thanked the Democratic Party of Serbia and the Socialist Party of Serbia for not backing his rival Tadic in the runoff.

Nikolic said the two parties had "judged well about who should win and spread love, rather than hatred."

Accusing Tadic of conducting a dirty campaign, Nikolic said his rival had lost many friends and added that the EU officials said Serbia's path did not depend on the presidential vote. Nikolic also noted that Tadic had not received support from any of the members of the former Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition.

In his opening speech, Tadic said Serbia's European path has no alternative and added that on this road are all the hopes and expectations for resolving the numerous problems and challenges the people and Serbia have been facing for years.

Stressing that Serbia was at a crossroads, Tadic said the citizens should decide which way Serbia will go on Feb. 3.

According to the incumbent president, the citizens have two roads one leading to a better life and European integrations and the other, distancing them from Europe, which, as he said, the Serbian Radical Party and its leader Vojislav Seselj have consistently propagated and carried out for the past 17 years.

Tadic stressed that the policy of the '90s would lead to isolation, and he described it as a policy of the past and uncertainty, and not a policy of change.

He thanked the citizens for voting in the elections, and thereby showing that Serbia is a stable and democratic country and that they, as all other European nations, bear a responsibility for the future.

Tadic also said he knew life in Serbia was difficult, but he added that he also knew that Serbia was on a path of change and that many great things had been done.

"If we stop now, we shall make a big mistake. We are at the middle of the path and I know that we can move on to the end," Tadic concluded.

BANJALUKA, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - The relations of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) with Serbia are today at the lowest level since the Dayton talks, and certain politicians in Sarajevo are responsible for this, BiH Parliamentary Assembly House of Representatives Chairman Milorad Zivkovic said in a stratement for Tanjug on Wednesday.

Current BiH Presidency Chairman Zeljko Komsic, Croat, and Presidency member Haris Silajdzic, Bosniak, have contributed the most to these disrupted relations with their irresponsible statements regarding Serbia, saying that they will never go to Belgrade, Zivkovic said. "It is terrible that we have a member of the BiH Presidency who does not want to visit one of our neighboring countries, Serbia," Zivkovic said, adding that this is definitely not conducive to the main objective of the BiH foreign policy in the area of the development of good-neighbor relations.

There is also the matter of the topical problems in the region, involving the resolving of the issue of Serbia's southern Kosovo and Metohija province, as certain persons in BiH are prejudging the solution for the question of Kosovo "with irresponsible statements, contributing to the complicating of relations with Serbia," Zivkovic said.

"The relations between BiH and Serbia must be brought to the level that they deserve, as also with Croatia and Montenegro, because these are countries with which BiH shares borders," said Zivkovic of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the governing party in Republika Srpska (RS).

BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic and European Commission Vice President Franco Frattini opened talks on abolishing EU visas for Serbia's citizens, in Belgrade on Jan. 30.

Frattini said Serbia is the first Western Balkan country to start talks on abolishing visas, which, in his words, is a clear political message. Frattini further said he "took the risk of saying that visas could be abolished in 2009," but added that "it is not known when this will happen, considering that Serbia needs to fulfill many conditions, which primarily refer to the security of the borders."

"The EU has opened doors and windows to Serbia," Frattini noted, but added that it was up to Serbia to decide whether it would enter. He added that Serbia was surrounded by EU countries and that it was unthinkable to him not for Serbia to join "the European family."

According to Frattini, the transitional cooperation agreement, which Serbia is due to sign with the EU on Feb. 7, is very important, because for the first time it mentions the word 'membership' in the context of Serbia.

Djelic said Serbia will fulfill all the conditions for abolishing visas, by the end of this year, if Tadic wins the presidential runoff. He added that deadlines would not be certain, if other options won the vote. Djelic recalled that important laws have been passed, including the Law on travel documents and the Law on asylum, and also readmission and visa facilitation agreements were signed last year.

Djelic further said Serbia's citizens remember the times when they could travel everywhere with the passports of the former Yugoslavia, while today some 70 percent of the youth have not left Serbia and are in a much worse position than their parents.

BELGRADE, Jan 31 (Tanjug) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic has said that the Working Group, which he will coordinate, and the implementation of the political deal that the EU offered to Serbia would allow it to become an EU candidate country and make it possible for the visa regime to be cancelled by the end of the year.

The EU candidate status implies financial assistance in the fields of agriculture, regional development, education and science, Djelic told the Thursday issue of the Belgrade daily Blic.

Djelic pointed out that EU member states confirmed that they want to cancel visas and thus help young people to study in the EU. He pointed out that with the political agreement, the EU member states have for the first time given "a green light" to Serbia's becoming a member of the European Union.

BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Serbia's future is in the EU, and Brussels' political offer to Belgrade means that the doors of the EU are open to it, but it is up to the Serbian citizens to decide whether to accept that offer, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said on Jan. 30.

"Serbia's future is in the EU. I came here today to give this message personally, not only to President Tadic, but also to you, the people of Serbia," Frattini told reporters, after a meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic.

The commissioner pointed out that the political agreement the EU had offered Serbia, for the first time mentioned its EU membership, adding that all 27 members had stood behind the offer. "I want to say that our political offer to Serbia means that we are opening Europe's doors and windows, but the Serbian citizens will decide whether or not to enter," Frattini said.

Tadic underscored that Serbia, defending its integrity, was firmly dedicated to a future in Europe, and added that he was "very optimistic about Serbia's European future," which was primarily to bring benefit to the citizens.

"By defending its integrity, Serbia remains firmly dedicated to a future in Europe. With great optimism I look on Serbia's European future, because it is directly connected with the improvement of life and the living standard of our citizens new jobs and new investments," he said.

Frattini said he was confident that the European course and prospect "will make Serbia a stronger country," adding that this was the position of the European Commission, which met on the morning of Jan. 30, and of its President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Tadic and Frattini welcomed the start of talks between the EU and Serbia, which should lead to completely eliminating visas for Serbian citizens, and according to the commissioner that may happen as early as in 2009, after all the necessary requirements are met.

Frattini also said that this meant Serbian citizens would be able "to move freely within the biggest borderfree space in the world from Portugal to Finland, from Greece to Denmark."

He reiterated that apart from liberalizing the visa regime, the EU was also considering establishing a free trade zone with Serbia and including Serbian students in the Erasmus student exchange and education program.

VIENNA, January 31 (Tanjug) - The Netherlands has blocked the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia because it believes that the prerequisite for this is a full cooperation with the ICTY, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxim Verhagen has said in an interview with the Frankfurt-based Serbian daily Vesti.

What we have offered is not an interim agreement on stabilization and association, but rather political dialogue which will open the door to joining the EU in the future, Verhagen said. Asked whether the result of the forthcoming presidential elections could influence the Serbian-EU relations, the Dutch foreign minister answered that it was for the Serbian people to decide who they would vote for.

What we have done is that we have opened the possibility that the SAA be signed after the elections, he underlined. This means that it is for the people to decide whether they will choose a pro-European perspective with the possibility of economic exchange, political dialogue, the Dutch foreign minister said. The Serbs should now decide whether they are for Europe or against it, Verhagen concluded in the interview for daily Vesti.

LJUBLJANA, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Serbia's progress in association with the European Union is primarily its own responsibility, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Danish Foreign Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated at a joint news conference on Jan. 30.

Rasmussen, who is paying a two-day visit to Slovenia, declared that the EU will respect the results of democratic elections in Serbia and, regardless of who wins, it will continue sending positive political signals, but that further progress in association will depend on political developments in Serbia.

He added that the condition of full cooperation with the Hague tribunal "should not exclude (Brussels) taking immediate, positive steps" to demonstrate the will for an improvement of relations between Serbia and the EU, and that then everything will be up to Serbia to secure further progress in those relations.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country is chairing the EU, also said the EU would respect the election result in Serbia and that it would continue sending positive signals to Belgrade, but that the pace at which it approaches the EU will depend on Serbia itself.

He added that, in view of the presidential candidates' different programs, the results of the elections will probably affect the speed at which it surmounts that route, which the voters will select on Feb. 3.

Whoever they elect as the new president will depend on the Serbs, and signing the political agreement the EU has offered to Serbia is additional proof that the EU sees it as part of the European family, the Slovenian prime minister said.

Asked about the possible declaration of Kosovo's independence in the week after the second round of elections, Prime Minister Jansa said the EU had adopted the starting points, regarding the solution of this issue, at the December meeting of the Council of Europe, and that a part of this political framework is the expectation that nothing will be solved unilaterally in Kosovo. He also warned that irresponsible, unilateral moves could only destabilize the situation.

Finally, the Danish foreign minister said he hoped the EU would adopt a decision on sending its mission to the province, as soon as possible, adding that this could already happen at the beginning of February.

SOFIA, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - "We are convinced that Serbia should have a clear European perspective, an action plan for both signing of a Stabilization and Association Agreement and getting a candidate status, meeting all key conditions and criteria for membership," Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said after the Council on Security met with the Council of Ministers Wednesday.

"Bulgaria is among the countries that insisted that the EU propose for signature a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the Republic of Serbia even this week. The EU foreign ministers invited Serbia to sign an interim political agreement on cooperation, which is an important step forward in EU-Serbian relations," he said.

"The government will carry on the talks and consultations with all institutions and political forces on the formation of a national position and long-term conduct in respect of the situation in Kosovo and the Western Balkans as a whole," he noted quoted by Bulgarian agency BTA.

"We insisted to the EU to urge for the implementation of all key elements of the AhtIsaari Plan, which envisages broad decentralization, protection of minority rights, of Orthodox religious monuments and many other things requiring legislative solutions and actions by the executive in Kosovo," Stanishev said.

BELGRADE, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - Serbia's membership in the European Union is supported by 75 percent of the citizens, and 73 pct would vote "yes" in a referendum, according to the latest opinion poll of the Strategic Pulse Group.

The most frequent association the participants made with EU membership was better standard of living and freedom of movement, and 81 pct of the participants had a positive first association and 16 pct negative, Strategic Marketing researcher Svetlana Logar said. Speaking at a round table on whether there are any alternatives to Serbia's road to Europe, she said that 73 pct of the participants expect better and 10 pct poorer standard of living.

A total of 68 pct expect better life for them and their families once Serbia joins the EU, 18 pct expect the same and 8 pct expect worse. According to President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence Sonia Licht, poll results show that despite very strong anti-European rhetorics over the past few months, the majority of the people understand that Serbia's future lies in regional, European and global integrations.

The mood of the people in the expectation of the second round of the presidential election is filled with fear without precedent, she said. People fear that victory of the radical candidate would mean that Serbia would remain isolated for a long time, she said. The round table was organized by the Forum for International Relations and European Movement in Serbia.

PANCEVO, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - The president of the European Agency for Reconstruction, John White, said in Pancevo on Wednesday that the modernization of courts in Serbia is very important for bringing this country closer to the European Union. White presented ten computers and 16 printers with accessories to the district court.

He said that the European Agency for Reconstruction, in cooperation with the Serbian Justice Ministry, has equipped 93 courts in Serbia and has invested 953 million euros in other projects throughout Serbia.

ATHENS, Jan 31 (Tanjug) - Greece would not rush to make a decision regarding the future status of Kosovo but would carefully examine all the parameters involved, Greek Foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos stressed in Athens on Wednesday.

At the same time, he stressed the need for a unified EU stance on Kosovo, which he called the "European issue par excellence," the Greek ANA news agency reported. Koumoutsakos said that a unified stance did not mean imposing one point of view on other EU member-states but taking into account the concerns and misgivings of the other member-states.

The Greek official additionally stressed that it was important to take action to ensure regional stability and that this was Greece's unswerving position.

PRISTINA, Jan. 30 (Beta) - UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker has protested against Serbian Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Slobodan Samardzic's appeal to the Kosovo Serbs to boycott the Kosovo institutions, UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko told a news conference in Pristina on Jan. 30.

Ivanko added that Ruecker had sent protest letters to Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and the Contact Group.

Ivanko did not wish to comment on the Amnesty International report, which called on the Kosovo authorities to say what they have done about investigating the crimes committed against the Serbs during 1999 and since the deployment of the international forces.

Speaking at the same news conference, KFOR spokesman Bertrand Bonneau declined to comment on the Russian Foreign Ministry's announcement, which stated that KFOR was devising special plans to "quieten down" the Serb population in the northern part of the province, who oppose independence.

Asked whether KFOR would protect the Serbs if they left their homes in the event of a unilateral proclamation of independence, Bonneau replied that KFOR has different plans for every scenario.

According to him, the basic mission of the military forces in Kosovo is to secure a safe environment for all citizens of Kosovo.

PRISTINA, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Kosovo Premier Hashim Thaci said in Pristina on Jan. 30 that the presidential runoff in Serbia will not affect the process of proclaiming the independence of Kosovo.

"Independence will be declared within the next few days. The vote in Serbia, regardless of who will win, has no influence on us. Kosovo has its own path," Thaci told a news conference.

Earlier, Thaci met with Kosovo Protection Crops Commander Sulejman Selimi and Deputy Police Commissioner Seret Ahmeti.

Thaci specified that the main topic at the meetings were preparations for proclaiming independence. "Kosovo has its preventive plan. It is the joint plan of the Kosovo government and the international mechanisms," Thaci explained.

KRAGUJEVAC, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said in the central Serbian town of Kragujevac on Wednesday that the measures of the international peacekeeping force KFOR, in the event of a unilateral proclamation of the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, should primarily prevent the break out of unrests in that southern province.

"I have been claiming for a year that the most important thing at this moment is that we preserve the security of the citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, along with the stand that we do not recognize independence," the defense minister said. In the event of the unilateral proclamation of independence and a possible exodus of Serbs and other non-Albanians from the province, it will no longer matter whether Serbia recognizes or does not recognise that independence.

"Kosovo and Metohija will be as much ours as there will be Serbs who will remain living down there," Sutanovac said, underscoring that, in his talks with representatives of NATO and KFOR, he is insisting on their obligation to maintain order and stability. At the mention of a possible repetition of the events of March 17, 2004, certain KFOR officers respond with statements that they will not permit such unrests to happen again and that they are now more ready than ever, Minister Sutanovac said.

BELGRADE, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - Preliminary applications for positions in the EU police and judiciary mission in Kosovo and Metohija were closed last Thursday, it is specified in a document prepared for the EU Council of Ministers, the Belgrade daily Politika reported on Wednesday, claiming that it had been given an insight in the document.

The applications were invited for 1376 posts of the total of 1800 which the mission is supposed to have, and since all the positions were not filled up during the first invitation in October last year, the second, informal and indicative invitation was issued on January 11 for more than 500 employees, mostly policemen, the daily reported. The EU has also invited the citizens of third countries - which are not members of the Union - to compete for the positions in Kosovo and Metohija. The right to apply has thus been given to the citizens of Croatia, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States of America, which, theoretically, makes it possible for those Serbian citizens that have Croatian citizenship to apply for the job, the daily Politika reported.

The applications of policemen, customs officers, prosecutors and judges will be valid for the next twelve months, and they will be formally employed only once the mission has obtained a formal permission of the EU Council of Ministers. Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin expressed on Tuesday major concern of Moscow over the report on the behind-the scenes preparations of the Western countries for the new mission. He said that the maneuvering included even direct pressures on the UN Secretary General and the EU Presidency so that the EU mission be sent to Kosovo and the mandate of the military component of the peacekeeping operation force in Kosovo be strengthened without a corresponding decision of the UN Security Council.

PRISTINA, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - Head of the European Union Planning Team for Kosovo (EUPT) Roy Reeve said on Wednesday that an EU mission was ready to arrive, but that a Council of Europe decision to that effect was necessary because this was a political issue.

Reeve was speaking after a meeting with Kosovo Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti in Pristina, Albanian-language electronic media reported.

Speaking about a future mission in Kosovo, Reeve said that everything was prepared for it and that it would consist of about 1,900 international representatives and 1,000 members of local staff in charge of special activities. Reeve pointed at the need for cooperation and coordination of the EUPT and Kosovo ministries in the field of the judiciary and police.

BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (Tanjug) - Albania is preparing to oppose, with the help of the European Union and NATO, to a possible Serbian embargo against Kosovo-Metohija after the unilateral proclamation of independence, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha told Tanjug in Brussels late on Wednesday.

Berisha pointed out that he will discuss the Kosovo issue with EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs Javier Solana on Thursday. We are preparing to help Kosovo in the case of Serbian embargo and we will coordinate with the EU and NATO in order to alleviate its effects, Berisha said. That embargo would certainly negatively affect Kosovo Albanians, Berisha said. We, however, intend oppose to that, but I call on Serbia once again to hold back from such moves, the Albanian prime minister said.

BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said on Jan. 30 that the first advance payment has arrived from Iraq for Serbian military equipment and weapons, adding that all military factories will get their share in the next few days.

The deal with Iraq totals US$236 million, and the arranged advance comes to 20 percent of the overall value, Sutanovac said during a visit to the Kragujevacbased arms factory, Zastava Oruzje.

The minister also said the factory's share of the deal was US$5 million, while the advance it will receive totals US$1 million.

Sutanovac went on to say that as part of the arrangement, Zastava Oruzje will export 18,000 CZ 99 guns to Iraq, 3,000 of which will be specially engraved, as they are meant for state officials.

He said he was convinced that the deal with Iraq was a great incentive for all six factories of the Serbian military industry.

In a conversation with the factory management, Sutanovac said he believed the Serbian military industry had excellent export prospects, as it produces good products.

The minister announced that the M21 rifle, made by Zastava Oruzje according to NATO standards, will be included in the Serbian Army's arsenal by the end of the month, and that the first contingent will include 1,500 of those rifles.

MADRID, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Representatives of the city of Novi Sad received the award of the Club of Business Leaders from Madrid on Jan. 30, at the Fitur International Tourism Fair, the office of the Novi Sad mayor stated on Jan. 30.

This award is presented to outstanding institutions in the field of tourism, and the city of Novi Sad has been selected because of its development of tourism and overall tourist offer, it said in the statement.

In 2007, the number of overnight stays in Novi Sad grew by 123 percent, the statement added, so that 168,087 overnight stays of domestic and foreign tourists were registered in the capital of Vojvodina last year.

BELGRADE, Jan 30 (Tanjug) - Industrial production in Serbia increased by 3.7 percent in 2007 against 2006, and growth was registered in 17 sectors which account for 73 percent of the overall production, while a drop was registered in 12 sectors which account for 27 percent of the overall production.

The greatest influence on the growth of production in 2007 was made by the production of foodstuffs, electric power, machines and devices and chemicals and chemical products, the Serbian Statistics Bureau said in a statement on Wednesday.

BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Beta) - Industrial production in Serbia in December last year was 0.2 percent lower than in the same month of 2006, the Republic Statistics Bureau announced on Jan. 30.

ZAJECAR, VALJEVO, Jan. 30 (Beta) - The company Jug Kaolin from Zajecar, owned by the Bulgarian company Kaolin, announced on Jan. 30 that it had taken over the nonmetals mine from Valjevo for 79.4 million dinars.

According to the statement about the takeover, Jug Kaolin has bought 98.98 percent of shares in the mine, i.e. 7,443 shares at the price of 10.665 dinars each.

On Jan. 8, the company from Zajecar announced an offer for selling all 7,520 shares of the Valjevo nonmetals mine, which deals in the extraction of asbestos, quartz sand and other ores and stone. The offer was closed successfully on Jan. 28.