Slavic

BELGRADE - Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic expressed the expectation that after Sunday's early elections, Serbia will have the kind of political stability that is a precondition for any serious steps ahead.

The defense ministers of Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a truce in Crimea by March 21, according to Ukraine's acting Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh.

Russia is to lift the blockade of Ukrainian bases in Crimea by March 21.

Volen Siderov, leader of nationalist party Ataka, has demanded an extraordinary parliamentary sitting on Monday on the situation in Ukraine and the Crimea secession referendum.

Crimea votes Sunday in a referendum on whether to re-join Russia or remain a part of Ukraine.

The referendum has been condemned as "illegal" by Ukraine, the European Union and the United States.

The special police operation in Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv has concluded with around 30 arrests.

Two people have been reported killed during clashes between rival factions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

The city’s mayor, Gennady Kernes, says 40-50 Right Sector (radical Ukrainian group) militants had seized a building, where the clashes erupted. The police are conducting an operation to remove the people from the building, ITAR-TASS reports.

A Crimean Tatar youth holding a sign reading ‘No illegal referendum’ as pro-Ukrainian demonstrators marched in the streets of Simferopol on Friday.

By John Kittmer *

A choice isn’t a choice when it is made with a gun to your head.

BELGRADE - An exhibition of paintings by internationally acclaimed Serbian artist Ljubica Cuca Sokic will open on Friday at the Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU).

The exhibition commemorating the centenary of birth of a painter who made a lasting mark on the Serbian 20th century art scene will present 31 of her works from the SANU art collection.

Five members of Bulgaria's ultranationalist Ataka party will travel to Crimea as monitors of Sunday's referendum for the autonomous province's future.

The leader of the party, Volen Siderov believes the new leadership in Kiev is illegitimate, and the result of a coup carried out by extremists, terrorists, and pro-fascist organizations, the daily 24Chasa reports.

BELGRADE - Young Serbian opera singer Tijana Djuricic will take part in the music and stage performance entitled Music Soul of Europa, which will be held at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa on Friday and include musicians from Italy, Poland and Russia.