Rasim Ljajic

Denis Zvizdic said on Tuesday that "the story about the arming in the region" has been given "much more publicity than it is about real activities."

The chairman of the Council of Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina spoke in Novi Pazar, southwestern Serbia, after his meeting with Serbian Deputy PM and Trade and Communications Minister Rasim Ljajic.

"I would love it if we have elections and I think there is more of a chance of them happening in spring next year than not," Vladimir Djukanovic, an MP and member of the central committee of the governing Serbian Progressive Party, told BIRN.

Djukanovic said that early parliamentary polls would be a great opportunity to comprehensively defeat the opposition.

The Hague Tribunal (ICTY) on Tuesday granted Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic provisional release pending the beginning of their retrial in The Hague.

The decision neither specifies a date nor a deadline for their return, the chairman of Serbia's national council for cooperation with the ICTY, Rasim Ljajic, told Tanjug.

Iran's first business and trade center - "a hub of Iranian economy for the entire Balkans" - will be opened soon.

This was agreed during a meeting of an Iranian delegation and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic and Minister of Economy Zeljko Sertic on Wednesday.

Serbian Minister of Trade Rasim Ljajic stated on Friday that this year's corn and soy crop "will be lower than expected."

However, Tanjug quoted him as adding that "there is no reason for panic, because some corn will be left for export as well.2

Sixteen foreign companies and investment funds have submitted a non-binding offer for state telecommunications company Telekom Srbija, local media reported on Wednesday.

The deadline for submitting non-binding bids expired on Monday, but the government has not announced the names of the bidders.

Serbia and Iraq will sign an agreement soon and work towards establishing joint telecommunications enterprises, Rasim Ljajic told reporters on Monday.

The Serbian minister of trade, tourism and telecommunications spoke after his meeting in Belgrade with Iraqi Minister of Telecommunications Hassan Al Rashid.

Belgrade insists in the dialogue with Pristina that as Kosovo is given a calling code Telekom should get a fixed and mobile telephony license in Kosovo.

This was stated by Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication Minister Rasim Ljajic.

Serbia's television signal is fully digitized as of Sunday and 97.8 percent of the population is covered by digital broadcasting, says Rasim Ljajic.

The analogue signal is from this day forth a part of history, the minister of telecommunications specified.

Bulgarian Economy minister Bozhidar Lukarski has left on a two-day work visit to Serbia June 1-2.