The European Union was not expecting any "extreme action" on part of Serbia regarding Kosovo's independence, EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Thursday in Vienna, according to DPA. Ferrero-Waldner expressed to reporters her hope for Serbia's elections "to go smoothly." She stressed the importance of the EU's offer to Serbia to sign a stabilization and association agreement after the elections. "The EU made an important offer," she said, adding that the EU was ready to enter a dialogue on a liberalization of visa regimes for Serbian citizens. The EU was not sacrificing its demands for the handover of fugitive war criminal Ratko Mladic, Ferrero-Waldner said. "We want to show the Serbian population that we want them in Europe," she said. The second round of Serbia's presidential elections on February 3 would hopefully be free and fair and provide clear reults {h} }{Q5 was up to the EU's member states to decide on a further course of action. Speaking at the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Ferrero-Waldner stressed the importance of the OSCE's presence in Kosovo, where the organization maintains its largest field presence. A possible withdrawal would be at the expense of Kosovo's ethnic minorities, she said. "Let us think carefully before taking decisions, and ensure that we remain focused on the over-aching objective: promoting a stable and peaceful future for Kosovo and the region," Ferrero-Waldner urged the OSCE's 56 member states.
