Serbia's most senior diplomat Ivan Mrkic says that no one has told us that agreement over Serbian municipalities was a crucial precondition for our integration with the EU. Our room for manoeuvre has been defined by the Parliament's Resolution and the President's platform.

It is still too soon to make predictions as to what Brussels will decide in June regarding the opening of its pre-accession negotiations with Serbia. President Nikolic, all Cabinet Ministers and the Ministry I am heading, are all working around the clock since taking office to demonstrate that Serbia has made visible progress in meeting all the requirements for membership of the European Union.

This is how Serbian Foreign Minister Mrkic, in an interview for Novosti, replies when asked about the chances to receive a positive signal from Brussels as early as June and to go to the next stage in our integration process. Mrkic goes on to explain that compared to the period of seven months ago, the chances to have a date for starting negotiations are much more improved:

"I am at liberty to say that Serbia has never been closer to be named a date!"

Q. Brussels says that the key that will take us to Europe's anteroom is to reach an agreement over the Community/Association of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo. How can such an agreement be reached when obviously Belgrade and Pristina are far apart in their positions when it comes to north Kosovo and Metohija?

A. In many meetings that I have had, both formal and informal, this has not been explicitly stated as the key prerequisite. It has only been insisted that there will be no new conditions set. I am sure that no one can say that we are not delivering on our promises. On the contrary, the international community has recognized our goodwill and cooperative policy that we are demonstrating on a daily basis.

Q. How far is Serbia ready to "give in" in relation to the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities?

A. This is a tough question, but neither I nor any Cabinet member can overstate it enough, on each occasion, how important it is that the Community of Serbian Municipalities has serious competences. In other words, I can say that this is the minimum below which, as things now stand, we will not go. At the end of the day, our room for manoeuvre has been defined and limited by the Resolution of our Parliament and by the President's platform.

Q. What is the strategy of the top state leadership in the next few weeks that will be crucial for the European Council decision?

A. In the coming months we'll be striving to prove that we have made visible progress in meeting the existing requirements, namely the efforts against corruption and crime, judicial reform and resolution of the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.

Q. Are you personally satisfied with the progress made in the dialogue with Pristina, or could more have been done?

A. I am not there to judge whether progress has been sufficient for a positive decision on a date, but I can say that the progress has been very visible indeed, and that it has been welcomed by all. The international community has assessed the Nikolic-Jahjaga meeting in the most positive of terms, and it has been very clearly stated that it was extremely important that the dialogue had been raised to the highest level. And this is precisely what we have insisted on. The fact that we discuss, have a dialogue and meet with each other can only bring about something good to us. Therefore, our door is wide open to all proposals. As a matter of fact, let's wait for the month of April and the release of the EC Serbia Progress Report, and until then we'll do our very best to have a positive mark from them.

Q. Lithuania supports us. Can Lithuania, which has not yet ratified the SAA with Serbia and which will assume EU Presidency on 1 July, slow down, in any way, the pace of our European integration?

A. My Assistant Ljubica Vasic has just come back from Lithuania and has brought the good news from this country.
Lithuania supports our European integration.