EU presidency seeks Serbia accord by end Jan
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New European Union President Slovenia said on Tuesday it wants Serbia to move towards membership as soon as possible but acknowledged some EU states needed to be convinced.
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European Union leaders will offer Serbia a fast-track route to joining the bloc in a bid to soothe Balkan tensions over Kosovo's push for independence, a summit draft showed on Friday.
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The European Union will resume key talks with Serbia on closer ties in the coming days, following the arrest of a general wanted for war crimes, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn announced Friday.
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Serbia warned the EU on  Wednesday it would not accept any decision on Kosovo taken  outside the United Nations and its ally Russia told the United  States to stop backing Kosovo independence while talks  continue.
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New European Union president Slovenia said on Tuesday it wanted Serbia to take a key step towards future membership this month, but acknowledged some EU states needed to be convinced.
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Slovenia, the first country to quit  Yugoslavia in 1991, becomes EU president on January 1 and will  play a lead role in maybe the last act of the old Balkan  federation's demise when Kosovo secedes from Serbia.
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BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia  - Italy urged its European Union partners on Monday to reach out to Serbia in a bid to resolve diplomatic deadlock over its breakaway province of Kosovo.
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The European Union's enlargement chief  said the planned signing of a political agreement with Serbia  on Thursday would be delayed amid a deep rift in the Belgrade  coalition over the accord.
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EU foreign ministers will debate on  Monday whether to sign an interim trade agreement with Serbia  -- a move seen as boosting pro-European President Boris Tadic  ahead of a February 3 presidential run-off.
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European Union leaders are set to offer Serbia a fast track to candidacy for membership of the bloc and pledge to step up preparations for a police mission to stabilize Kosovo, a draft statement for Friday's EU summit said.
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"It is completely up in the air at the moment"  EU foreign ministers will debate on Monday whether to sign an interim trade agreement with Serbia -- a move seen as boosting pro-European President Boris Tadic ahead of a February 3 presidential run-off. Tadic ... via Reuters UK
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday that Serbia could only join the European Union if it lived up to international demands to hand over war crime suspects and respected the independence of Kosovo.
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"We hope for a continuity. We would like to see the democratic forces of Serbia winning."  By William SchombergLJUBLJANA  - New European Union President Slovenia said on Tuesday it aimed to sign an accord with Serbia that is a first step towards EU membership soon, possibly by the end of this month.But EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn insisted that Belgrade must first meet a condition of full cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia."I am one of those who believe the SAA should be signed as soon as possible, possibly by the end of this month, but some of our colleagues have to be persuaded this is a good idea," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told reporters. Read more
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The EU sought Monday to boost the election chances of Serbia's pro-European President Boris Tadic, offering to sign a cooperation deal after a poll that is shaping up as a "referendum on Europe".
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President Boris Tadic on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica to stop obstructing Serbia's state institutions in a damaging political rift over European Union integration.
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European Union nations agreed Monday on an offer to set up regular political ties with Serbia, open up trade and end visa restrictions, but it fell short of a wider deal to prepare Serbia for EU membership.
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The European Union is considering  signing an interim pact on trade and cooperation with Serbia  before a February 3 presidential election to try to boost the  pro-European incumbent, diplomats said on Friday.