BELGRADE - The leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Freedom, Democracy, Justice" (GI SDP), indicted for war crimes against ethnic Albanians recently, will have to remain in remand custody until the end of his trial despite the Serbian government guarantees that he will be available to the judicial authorities at all times if released pending trial, Belgrade-based daily Politika reports in its Tuesday issue. Ivanovic will first appear in court at a preliminary hearing on August 26, when he will enter his plea to the indictment filed against him by a prosecutor from the Kosovo Special Prosecutio

BRUSSELS - The first chapters in Serbia's EU accession process should not be opened before the beginning of the next year, Tanjug learnt from diplomatic sources in Brussels. The current mood among member countries is that additional efforts are still needed in the implementation of the Brussels agreement before an intergovernmental conference on the opening of chapters can be organised, Tanjug learnt in the EU seat. According to the sources, most member countries agree with Germany's stand that the intergovernmental conference should not be organised before full implementation of the provisi

The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Ian Cliff told Tanjug that part of the Brussels agreement, relating to the recognition of diplomas, does not function and that issue with recognition of diplomas issued by North Mitrovica University should be improved.  “I can say that part of the Brussels agreement relating to the recognition of diplomas does not function,” Cliff said, adding that the British Embassy in Kosovo supported a number of Serbian lawyers who wanted to take the bar exam and become the part of Kosovo justice system.

PRISTINA - The Independent Liberal Party (SLS) re-elected in Pristina on Sunday Slobodan Petrovic as their president. Petrovic is also the minister of administration and local government and deputy prime minister in Kosovo's provisional government. The SLS has close to 8,000 members, he said in a report presented at the election meeting, adding he hoped SLS officials would be in Kosovo's next government as well. The SLS wants to see a government formed as quickly as possible, because it is important for everyday problems the people face and for the implementation of the agreements with Belg

BELGRADE - Germany is not setting new requirements for Serbia's EU integration, member of the Bundestag Josip Juratovic has said, adding that the agreements signed by the EU are well thought out and are not changes according to anyone's whim. Germany is a partner that can always be counted on to make the maximum effort to implement whatever has been agreed, Juratovic told the Blic daily from Belgrade, adding that all the requirements had been known for a long time and were the same as for Slovenia and Croatia. When asked if Germany would demand that another agreement between Belgrade and Pri

Mayor of North Kosovska Mitrovica Goran Rakic has called on the international community to invest maximum efforts into dealing with security issues and providing a safe environment for all the people in Kosovo. His appeal came after an unexploded hand grenade was found and cleared by the police in North Mitrovica on Saturday, an area where Serbs make up the majority of the population. Two cars were set on fire in Filip Visnjic Street on Saturday, according to preliminary investigation results, and that happened just two days after another similar incident, he stated.

BELGRADE - Oliver Ivanovic, one of the Serb leaders in northern Kosovo-Metohija (KiM), against whom a criminal indictment for crimes against ethnic Albanians has been issued recently, said he had been arrested so that his political action could be prevented. “My arrest had only one goal: to exclude me from political and public life,” Ivanovic said in an interview he gave to Belgrade-based daily Politika in writing on the day before the indictments against him was issued. He pointed out that he had first been arrested, and then the alleged evidence against him had been being collected for sev

 Tomislav Nikolić says he wishes to see an end to hostilities in Ukraine, "not only because of Serbia's specific position - but for the sake of people there."  "If they reach an agreement, it will be for the good of the people. If not, then it will be bad for the people, people in eastern Ukraine will suffer, it's obvious.