Solana encourages closer ties with Serbia

The EU has confirmed once again today that it wishes to strengthen ties with Serbia. A day after the first round of presidential elections where Serb Radical Party candidate Tomislav Nikolic established a four point lead over pro-European incumbent president, Boris Tadic, the Union stated that it maintained its belief that Serbia could speed up its path towards EU membership. Solana encourages closer ties with Serbia “We are convinced that Serbia will stay on its European course and we believe that progress towards the EU can be accelerated,” read a statement from the cabinet of EU High Representative Javier Solana. Solana’s spokeswoman Christina Gallach said that the large turnout yesterday showed that the Serbian people were aware of the importance of the their country's future path. Gallach said that the EU was pleased that the first round of elections had gone off without any hitches, stating that the large turnout bore witness to the maturity of the Serbian people. “CoE supports free elections, not candidates“ The Council of Europe (CoE) will accept any candidate elected in free and open elections, said outgoing President of the CoE’s Parliamentary Assembly Rene Van Der Linden in reference to the Serbian presidential ballot. “The CoE never stands behind a single candidate, rather behind free and fair elections, and that’s why we’ll accept whichever candidate wins at the elections,“ Van Der Linden told a farewell press conference in Strasbourg. He said that the election results were “tight“ and expressed the hope that moderate forces would facilitate Serbia’s entry into the remaining European structures. Van Der Linden, whose successor will be chosen at a regular Assembly session that began today at midday, said that the institution was unable to send monitors to the first round of elections because of its regular session, but that it would do so to the second round.

Solana encourages closer ties with Serbia

“We are convinced that Serbia will stay on its European course and we believe that progress towards the EU can be accelerated,” read a statement from the cabinet of EU High Representative Javier Solana.

Solana’s spokeswoman Christina Gallach said that the large turnout yesterday showed that the Serbian people were aware of the importance of the their country's future path.

Gallach said that the EU was pleased that the first round of elections had gone off without any hitches, stating that the large turnout bore witness to the maturity of the Serbian people.

“CoE supports free elections, not candidates“

The Council of Europe (CoE) will accept any candidate elected in free and open elections, said outgoing President of the CoE’s Parliamentary Assembly Rene Van Der Linden in reference to the Serbian presidential ballot.

“The CoE never stands behind a single candidate, rather behind free and fair elections, and that’s why we’ll accept whichever candidate wins at the elections,“ Van Der Linden told a farewell press conference in Strasbourg.

He said that the election results were “tight“ and expressed the hope that moderate forces would facilitate Serbia’s entry into the remaining European structures.

Van Der Linden, whose successor will be chosen at a regular Assembly session that began today at midday, said that the institution was unable to send monitors to the first round of elections because of its regular session, but that it would do so to the second round.