Serbia

ICJ to rule on jurisdiction in Croatia genocide case against Serbia

The Hague - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was to say Tuesday whether it has jurisdiction to rule on a claim by Croatia that Serbia committed genocide against its population in the 1991-95 war.

Croatia had filed the case against the rump Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, in 1999, while it was still run by the strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

Zagreb claims Belgrade fomented and supported a Serb insurgency following Croatia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Ethnic Serbs, then making up some 12 per cent of the population, had proclaimed a state of their own, which was recognized only by Belgrade, on a third of Croatia's territory.

ICTY prosecutor in Belgrade to press for Ratko Mladic's arrest

International Criminal Court Belgrade - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Serge Brammertz, arrived in Belgrade Monday to press Serbian officials for the arrest of Ratko Mladic, the most wanted war crimes suspect.

But Belgrade, despite its ties with the European Union hinging on the arrest of fugitive war criminals, has again said Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military chief, is out of its reach.

"We have no trail leading to Mladic, only if a miracle should happen," Serbian minister in charge of cooperation with ICTY, Rasim Ljajic, said ahead of Brammertz's arrival.

Tennis remains Serbia's fairy tale

Serbia Map & FlagBelgrade - The triumph of two Serbs at the Shanghai Masters over the weekend, two players on top of global rankings and another two with the throne in sight at the close of the tennis season drove Belgrade newspapers deeper into euphoria on Monday.

Jordanian passenger jet makes emergency landing in Belgrade

Jordanian passenger jet makes emergency landing in Belgrade Belgrade - A Royal Jordanian jet airliner safely made an emergency landing in Belgrade Saturday late afternoon, Serbian television RTS reported.

The Airbus A310-300 with 154 passengers and 14 crew flying from Amman to London requested to land after losing pressure in the cockpit, the Belgrade airport confirmed.

The passengers were due to be flown to London by another Royal airplane during the course of the evening, it said.

Serbia and IMF agree 516-million-dollar standby deal

Serbia and IMF agree 516-million-dollar standby dealBelgrade  - Serbia's ruling coalition overcame internal strife over where to cut spending and has agreed on a 15-month, 520- million dollar standby credit with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Finance MInister Diana Dragutinovic said Friday.

Within the deal, Serbia must cut spending to keep the 2009 budget deficit under 1.5 per cent of the gross domestic product and the annual inflation rate at 8 per cent.

A standby credit means that through March 2010 Serbia may draw the funds if its macroeconomic stability becomes jeopardized.

Serbian cabinet in quandary over spending

Serbia, KosovoBelgrade - The Serbian government postponed its regular meeting Thursday, amid tensions in the volatile ruling coalition over excessive spending plans made before the financial crisis exploded.

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic's cabinet was expected Thursday to launch an arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but was apparently unable to agree on where to make spending cuts.

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