Serbian government

CACAK – Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said Saturday that the Brussels-based talks with Pristina will resume after Serbia’s March elections.

He told a press conference in Cacak, central Serbia, that the recent arrest of Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens’ Initiative ‘Serbia, Democracy, Justice’ is harmful to Belgrade-Pristina relations.

BELGRADE - The Serbian government said at a meeting it held late on Friday that the intention of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo to form “Kosovo armed forces” is destabilizing the situation in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) and announced bringing the this issue to the United Nations (UN).

BELGRADE - The Serbian government office for Kosovo stated on Friday concern of the deteriorated health of Citizen Initiative SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic, who has been on a hunger strike in a prison in Pristina for four days.

"Ivanovic's condition is so poor that he was unable to make it through his lawyer's visit today, according to what we have been told," the statement says.

RUSE - Mutual understanding and joint action by Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria towards European decision-makers are important for all citizens of these countries, Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Friday at the three nations' trilateral meeting in Ruse, Bulgaria.

STRPCE - Five Serbs from the southern Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) town of Strpce who were arrested on Tuesday were put under house arrest for up to 30 days.

Among the arrested Serbs, four are members of the Kosovo police.

BELGRADE - The Serbian government expressed on Thursday concern over the decision by the provisional authorities in Kosovo to form Kosovo armed forces and a defence ministry, stressing that only the international forces under KFOR have the mandate to cover all the military and security aspects in Kosovo.

BELGRADE - There are no misunderstandings between the Serbian and Russian partners regarding the South Stream gas pipeline project nor is the project being held back by problems in funding and provision of guarantees for loans, Dusan Bajatovic, director general of state-owned natural gas provider Srbijagas, said Thursday.

BELGRADE - Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and representatives of the German company Stratic discussed on Thursday the company's intentions to start production in Backa Palanka and employ 600 workers in the next three years.

The Serbian government said it is putting pressure on the international community to allow Kosovo Serbs arrested for alleged war crimes to be released ahead of their court cases.

KOPAONIK - The new Serbian government will have much to do, but its most important task is to seize the historic opportunity presented by the EU accession process and continue the initiated reforms, ambassadors of leading European countries said on Thursday.