Brussels, 09/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Union reacted immediately to the election of the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Tomislav Nikovic, as speaker of the Serbian parliament. In a press release published on Wednesday, the German EU Council presidency said it had “noted with concern” the previous day's election of the ultra-nationalist at the head of the Serbian parliament, saying: “To date, the Serbian Radical Party has always been strongly opposed to Serbia forging closer ties with the European Union”. Its statement goes on to read: “The EU presidency calls upon all reform-oriented parties in Belgrade to use the period until 15 May envisaged under Serbia's constitution to form a democratic, majority-based government which reaffirms the pro-European orientation of Serbian policy”. This wish is shared by Washington, which also deplores the election of Mr Nikolic whose comments reminded the US State Department spokesman of the “speeches full of hate heard during the bad days of the Milosevic era”.
Unable to agree on forming a government coalition with the pro-European Democrat Party (DS) under President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Serb Democrat Party (DSS) finally gave his support to Mr Nikolic during Tuesday's vote. Seeing that a parliamentary majority had formed, Mr Tadic placed the parties that had voted in favour of Mr Nikolic up against the wall. In a letter, the Serbian president leaves them until Friday to brief him on the situation in order to then be able to make a proposal to the parliament for the post of prime minister or dissolve it and convene new elections. (ab)