The president of Serbia and Montenegro said today he was confident pro-reform forces would form a government in Serbia despite a strong showing by ultra-national radicals in recent elections.
Speaking at the European Parliament, President Svetozar Marovic said his country was determined to catch up with its Balkan neighbours in boosting ties with the European Union.
"This is not a time of further radicalisation but a time when both in Serbia and in Montenegro everything should be done to broaden...the national consensus concerning the European and development priorities of Serbia and Montenegro," he said.
"The democratic forces that are currently working to form a new democratic government will have this in mind, which will make it possible to carry on with democratic, reform-oriented and pro-European processes," he told EU lawmakers.
Mr Marovic noted that pro-reform parties together won more than 60 per cent of the votes in last month's general elections.
Caretaker Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic said last week Serbia's pro-democracy parties were considering a temporary minority government as a solution to the inconclusive poll.
Serbia's ultra-nationalist Radical Party came first in the elections but cannot govern on its own and the European Union has appealed to reform-minded parties to unite to retain power.