A Serbian pop star who was recently appointed European Union ambassador for intercultural dialogue came under scrutiny Thursday after EU officials confirmed that they were concerned by her reported ties to ultra-nationalist politicians, according to dpa. The European Commission "will examine whether there is evidence" that Serbian pop star Marija Serifovic "made statements which run counter to the aims of the European Year of Inter-Cultural Dialogue," a spokesman for the EU's Brussels-based executive said. If such evidence surfaced, "we would have to review her further activities as an ambassador for the EU," he added. Serifovic shot to fame when she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. Later the same year she was appointed one of 15 EU ambassadors for the year of inter-cultural dialogue, launched in 2008. But in the run-up to the first round of Serbia's presidential election on January 20 she performed at a rally for ultra-nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic, who has in the past said that Serbia would never become a member of the EU. Nikolic's brand of fiery nationalism does not sit well with officials in Brussels, especially in 2008 - a year in which the EU has set itself the lofty aim of improving dialogue between cultures. Among the 14 other ambassadors are Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, Polish journalist and activist Adam Michnik, Belgian film-makers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Turkish-German pianist Fazil Say.
