EU cautions Serbia as Milosevic ally appointed

SERBIA:The European Union has warned Serbia that it must choose between moving towards membership of the bloc or plunging back into isolation after an ultra-nationalist ally of former president Slobodan Milosevic claimed one of the country's most powerful political offices.

Serb liberals joined Brussels in voicing grave concern over parliament's election of Tomislav Nikolic to be its speaker early yesterday, after a long debate that degenerated into a slagging match between his Radical Party and pro-western politicians.

The Radicals won January's general election and are benefiting from discord between president Boris Tadic and prime minister Vojislav Kostunica, whose parties have only until next Monday to forge a coalition before a deadline that would trigger a fresh ballot.

Mr Nikolic and his allies would probably dominate that vote, given the divisions among Serbia's more liberal parties and rising nationalist sentiment fuelled by public anger over Kosovo's independence bid.

"Serbia stands today at a crossroads: choose between the return to a nationalist past or an approach toward a European future," said EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn.

The Radical Party - which Mr Nikolic leads while Vojislav Seselj stands trial for war crimes at the UN court in The Hague - refuses to hand over other war crimes suspects. It also vows never to accept an independent Kosovo and supports EU membership only on Belgrade's strict terms and balanced by close ties with Russia, China and Arab states.

"I am not a danger to Serbia . . . I am not a danger to anyone's children as I heard said in parliament," Mr Nikolic (55) insisted after his election.

But Serbia's beleaguered liberals were not convinced.

"Nikolic epitomises war, isolation and misery," said Cedomir Jovanovic, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Mr Tadic called Mr Nikolic's appointment "very damaging" for Serbia, but urged Mr Kostunica to resume coalition talks that are stalled over his alleged demand for control of both the police force and intelligence agencies - departments crucial in a hunt for war criminals that the prime minister has been accused of hampering.

Analysts say the talks look doomed - especially after Mr Kostunica's party backed the candidacy of Mr Nikolic.