Serb leaders talk but no sign of coalition emerging
10 May 2007 18:01:15 GMT Source: Reuters
By Ellie Tzortzi BELGRADE, May 10 (Reuters) - Serbia's leaders held fresh meetings on Thursday to defuse the political crisis but there was no sign a pro-Western coalition could be formed in time to stop a new election being called. Top officials from the pro-Western Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic met for hours to decide whether to team up with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and overcome a new chill in their relations. The West hopes Kostunica and Tadic will agree to a deal soon and spare the Balkan country a new election as international efforts to solve the issue of independence for Serbia's province of Kosovo come to a head. But time is running out. A constitutional deadline expires on May 14 and if there is no deal by then a new election has to be called. The deadline stems from inconclusive polls in January. Prospects for a breakthrough took a knock on Tuesday when Kostunica, a moderate nationalist, backed Radical Party deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic for the key post of parliament speaker. The Radical Party is hostile to the European Union and NATO. Aghast pro-Western politicians saw Kostunica's move as capitulation to hardliners, seen by the West as heirs of late nationalist strongman Slobodan Milosevic. The European Union has condemned the election of Nikolic as a return to darker days and urged Kostunica and Tadic to join up and spare the country a new election. Campaigning in a new election now would coincide with the traumatic loss for Serbia of its Kosovo province, whose Albanian majority expects to win independence by summer with Western backing. The West fears that emotions would run high in the election over Kosovo and a nationalist backlash might strengthen the Radicals, less than seven years after Milosevic was ousted. "Serbia is at a crossroads this weekend," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Zagreb. The political situation "can have serious regional implications," he said. As rumours swirled of possible coalition variations and back-room deals, the Radicals ruled out backing Kostunica, despite much speculation. "I belong to the group of 6 million people who don't know whether there will be a government or not," said Nikolic. "Only God knows." Tadic's Democrats were reportedly split, and said they had "not given up on a democratic government". Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spoke in riddles. "The government will be formed within the period set by the law," said Radomir Naumov, a senior DSS official. "This doesn't mean we could form a government with the Radicals, but it also doesn't mean that we couldn't form a government". EU Commissioner Rehn said that "all democratic forces should continue with efforts to form a government that is oriented towards Europe". "There is no excuse for giving up efforts now," he added. (Additional reporting by Gordana Filipovic and Beti Bilandzic; Belgrade Newsroom)
