States with limited recognition

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday her recent visit to the UAE had also included a meeting with the Interpol president, who told her the so-called Kosovo's bid for membership in the organisation would not be on the agenda during his tenure.

In an article analyzing the situation in the Western Balkans, titled "Europe needs to do more", the Guardian states that in December "local disputes" led to the installation of barricades in the north of Kosovo, which is mainly inhabited by Serbs.

BELGRADE - In the latest rankings published by the US-based Global Firepower website, Serbia is placed 58th out of 145 countries, ranking higher than any other country in the region in terms of military strength.

Compared to the previous rankings, Serbia has moved up from the 61st position.

The Albanian, who wounded two Serbs with an automatic weapon in the Kosovo village of Gotovusa, has been arrested, "Kurir" reported. The suspect has the initials A.K and is 33 years old.

Yesterday, an 11-year-old boy and a 21-year-old youth were injured in the village of Gotovusa near the town of Shterpce by a passing car. Both were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said Friday's armed attack on two Kosovo Serb youths at Gotovusa, near Strpce, was "an attempt of murder" and noted that someone had "wanted to give the Serbs a bloody Christmas."

He said that, according to locals, the two had been shot at by an ethnic Albanian from a moving vehicle.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday hosted a Christmas Eve reception for a group of about thirty ethnic Serb children from Slovenia who are visiting Belgrade for the Christmas holidays.

He chatted with the children and handed out Christmas presents to them.

PRISTINA - A basic court in Pristina on Thursday extended by two months the house arrest for Dejan Pantic, a Kosovo-Metohija Serb who is a former Kosovo Police officer.

In a statement, the court said a preliminary proceedings judge had granted a request by the special prosecutor's office that Pantic's house arrest be extended until March 9, Pristina's Koha ditore reports.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday tough challenges were ahead of Serbia regarding the Kosovo-Metohija issue, and noted that a further nine countries had derecognised the so-called Kosovo.

BELGRADE - Several envoys of key Western states are expected to visit Serbia after Orthodox Christmas to step up the pressure and expedite a resolution of the Kosovo-Metohija issue, Vecernje novosti reports.

BELGRADE - In a comment on Pristina's EU membership bid, the Foreign Ministry of Slovakia says any change in Bratislava's position on the self-declared independence of the so-called Kosovo will depend on normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations.

Slovakia does not recognise the so-called Kosovo.