Nikolic wants Serbia in EU without giving up Kosovo

(BELGRADE) - Tomislav Nikolic, sworn in as Serbian president Thursday, said he wanted Serbia to join the EU but stressed that Belgrade would never give up its claim to breakaway Kosovo.

"I want Serbia as a European Union member and as a country that will never renounce its territorial integrity, including Kosovo," Nikolic said in his first speech after taking the oath of office before the Serbian parliament.

Nikolic, an anti-Western ultra-nationalist turned pro-EU populist, had surprisingly beat incumbent Boris Tadic in the May 20 presidential run-off election.

The 60-year-old new leader vowed to work for a "different Serbia, finally united in its fight for a better life."

He also made it clear that Belgrade would work on closer relations with its traditional ally Russia, speaking of Serbia as "a house with two doors: one open to the east and one to the west".

Nikolic's first official visit after taking office will be to Brussels in mid-June.

Serbia in March obtained EU candidate status but has yet to meet conditions to secure a date for opening talks. Brussels has said it wants to see more progress in relations with breakaway Kosovo.

Majority ethnic-Albanian Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 with the backing of most EU member states and the United States, but Belgrade has always refused to renounce its claim on the territory, still considering it a southern province.

Nikolic has long maintained that Kosovo -- seen as the cradle of Serb civilisation and still the seat of the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church and home to a 120,000 Serb minority-- could be a make-or-break issue.

Serbia has been in EU-brokered talks with Kosovo since early 2011 and several agreements have been reached, including a regional cooperation accord that allows Pristina to take part in conferences concerning the Balkans.

Nikolic told journalists Thursday that there are "indications that the EU wants to speed up the talks with Pristina."

"The talks with Pristina could resume right now," Nikolic said, adding that he would urge the political parties to reach a consensus on how to handle Kosovo.

"Whatever the solution that the politicians find for this problem it will be put to the citizens in a referendum," he added.

Nikolic used his first speech as an opportunity to blast previous governments, with his predecessor Tadic looking on.

"Serbia is being devoured by a general crisis... caused by badly carried out privatisations, corruption and crime which are responsible for a general feeling of insecurity and a lack of confidence in the (state) institutions," Nikolic said, speaking of a "collapse of the rule of law and the justice system" in the country.

However, the former foes are likely to be working together in the future as Tadic is tipped to become Serbia's new prime minister.

Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) is negotiating a deal to form a ruling coalition with the Socialist Party in a continuation of the previous government.

The DS and Socialist are respectively the second and third biggest parties in parliament.

While Nikolic's Serbian Progressive Party is the biggest in parliament it cannot form a majority without either the Socialists or Tadic's DS.

Nikolic said he would give the mandate to form a government to whoever comes to him and shows they have a majority in parliament for a ruling coalition.