CURRENT AFFAIRS

JEREMIC EXPECTS HEATED DEBATE, BUT IS OPTIMISTIC

BELGRADE, Oct 6 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that he expects a heated debate at the UN General Assembly session on Serbia's initiative to seek an advisory opinion on the legality of the unilateral declaration of the independence of Kosovo, adding that he is an optimist with regards the outcome of the vote. "I expect the debate to be much more difficult than the one before the UN General Committee. I expect the countries which oppose the initiative to be strongly against, while those who back us to be strongly for," Jeremic said after meeting with his Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet. "I hope for the best outcome for Serbia and there are reasons for optimism," Jeremic added, noting that the vote in the UN General Assembly on the request for the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is "the final step" after which no one can stop this. Jeremic, who is leaving for New York today to head the Serbian delegation at the Oct 8 UN General Assembly session on Serbia's initiative, stated that before the session he would hold some 20 bilateral meetings, mainly with representatives of countries that back Serbia's request.