BELGRADE - Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic thanked UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia Irena Vojackova-Solorano and head of the UN Office in Belgrade Peter Due for UN assistance to Serbia during the recent catastrophic floods. Gasic also underlined the Serbian government's concern over the decision of interim institutions in Pristina to form Kosovo armed forces, Defense Ministry stated in a release. "We see the international presence as a guarantee of security in Kosovo-Metohija, which is why the current process of reducing international troops is watched with concern," Gasic noted.

The paper notes that Serbia and other countries that don’t support Kosovo’s independence are using the participation of Albanians in the Syrian conflict to portray Kosovo as a country with terrorism problems. For the second time now, the participation of Kosovars in the conflict was discussed at the United Nations Security Council. Kosovo’s European Integration Minister, Vlora Citaku, said this is seriously damaging Kosovo’s image. “We knew from the beginning that our opponents would use this argument against Kosovo and will try to portray it as a source of terrorism.

NEW YORK - The head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Farid Zarif has called on all residents of Kosovo, particularly Serbs, to take part in the June 8 elections for the Kosovo assembly, expressing hope that, once the elections are complete, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will resume without delay. Both sides have fully continued their commitment to political dialogue, Zarif told the UN Security Council in New York late Tuesday. Congratulating Serbia on the successful holding of the March 16 elections and the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Aleks