Serbian parliament OKs new coalition government
Serbia's government collapses

Associated Press

Published: July 7, 2008

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Serbia's parliament approved a new government Monday that includes a pro-Western group and the political party of the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

Leaders of the coalition have pledged to speed up the Balkan country's integration into the European Union but also to continue fighting Kosovo's statehood. Kosovo was a cherished Serbian province before declaring independence in February with the support of Western powers.

The Cabinet was approved in a 127-27 vote, with the remaining lawmakers in the 250-seat Parliament refusing to vote.

The new government includes the Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic and the Socialist Party of Serbia, which was formed by Milosevic in the 1990s. Under Milosevic the Socialists were accused of inciting the Balkan wars and ruining Serbia's economy, but the party has sought to shake off that image by embracing pro-Western reforms.

New Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, 57, pledged to take the country toward EU membership.

"Full-fledged EU membership is the core interest of the Republic of Serbia and its citizens," he said. "Joining the EU would enable Serbia to become a full-fledged member of the European family of nations, from which Serbia has been excluded for a long time due to certain unfortunate historical circumstances."

But he stressed the government would never recognize Kosovo as independent, despite the support given by the West for the predominantly ethnic Albanian region to break away. The U.N. had administer Kosovo since a 1999 NATO military intervention to stop a Serbian crackdown on Albanians.

Cvetkovic, an economic expert from Tadic's party, said his government's priorities also include strengthening the economy and combating crime and corruption.

Socialist Party leader Ivica Dacic is new deputy prime minister and also is interior minister, in charge of police. His party holds five of the Cabinet's 24 ministerial posts.

Tadic's For a European Serbia alliance won the most votes in Serbia's May 11 national election, but needed the Socialists' support to form a majority in parliament.

The nationalist opposition said it did not trust the new government to "defend Kosovo." Ultranationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic accused the government of planning to give up Kosovo in order to achieve EU membership.

"What Europe are you planning to join if it says that Kosovo is not part of Serbia?" Nikolic asked.

The liberal opposition also refused to vote for the new Cabinet, saying its program was too vague and Tadic made too many compromises with the Socialists.

The previous government, led by nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, adopted anti-Western and anti-EU policies after the U.S. and many EU nations recognized Kosovo's statehood.

The West hopes the new Cabinet will deliver Serbian suspects to the U.N. war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia. Milosevic died at the Netherlands court in 2006 while on trial charged with genocide.

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