EU foreign ministers were to assess with discomfort yesterday the results of weekend elections in Serbia, after a strong showing by the ultra-nationalists.
EU ambassadors were to meet at 8am to prepare a position for the ministers' debate over lunch, part of a day of talks that will also focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions and developments in Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine.
Ahead of Sunday's polls, officials said the EU dearly wanted to see a moderate Serbian coalition emerge that is ready to cooperate with the UN war crimes court, possibly leading to the unblocking of talks on closer ties.
But the strength of the Serbian Radical Party means it could take a long time to form a coalition, which could raise tensions in Kosovo with its ethnic Albanian majority increasingly impatient for independence.
The Radicals' candidate for prime minister, Tomislav Nikolic, on Sunday ruled out forming a government with his major opponents and warned that the moderate parties would "surrender" Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo.
The EU froze a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Belgrade in May chiefly for its failure to surrender to the tribunal former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic, who was believed to be hiding in Serbia.
The accord is a first step for Balkan states to join Europe's rich club and Serbia is desperate to enter the bloc and rebuild its economy, but Radical president Vojislav Seselj is awaiting trial at the UN court.
In an effort to avoid boosting support for the forces that helped tear former Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s, the EU softened its stance on conditions for the talks to resume, but that now seems to have had little effect.
Kosovo, run by the UN since 1999, featured prominently in campaigning.
UN envoy to Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, will unveil his recommendations for the province's future status early next month, and then convene new talks between Kosovo and Serbian authorities.
But the makeup of the government, and the time needed to form a coalition, could influence how the new talks -- to be held in Vienna -- will evolve.
On Iran, the ministers will call for the full and rapid implementation of UN Security Council sanctions announced in response to Iran's nuclear activities.
They are to agree to halt the import and export of nuclear-related goods, freeze the assets of those linked to the program and impose a travel ban on some individuals, according to diplomats.
The West fears that the Islamic republic could be trying to develop a nuclear weapon under the guise of its civilian nuclear program.
Also on the agenda is Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region and ways for the EU to keep funding the African Union peacekeeping force there until a new contingent combining UN personnel can be deployed, probably in six months.
The ministers are also likely to offer financial support for a future stabilization force in Somalia provided talks involving all parties have begun when it deploys.
Ukraine too is up for discussion. They are expected to agree to begin talks on strengthening ties with the former Soviet state despite divisions over whether the country should ever be an EU member.
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