(16 May 2006)
1. Wide of motorcade carrying Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica arriving, and him being greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel
2. Cutaway of flags
3. Kostunica and Merkel briefly pose for photographs and enter building
4. Various of Kostunica speaking to officials
5. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister:
"I believe the citizens of Montenegro will express a decision to stay in a common state. Whichever way you look at it, whether economically, from a historical point of view, socially or from the point of view of security, it is better to preserve the mutual state."
6. Wide of address
7. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister:
"What worries us is the attitude of the Albanian delegation at the moment, because they are not showing willingness for compromise."
8. Cutaway of delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Prime Minister:
"The process (of accession to the EU) has stopped on one issue only and this is not the general cooperation with the tribunal in the Hague, that cooperation has been successful. The problematic issue is the issue of General Ratko Mladic and Serbia is doing everything in its power to resolve it. There are no dilemmas in Serbia if that issue is resolved. Delaying the talks cannot aid our cooperation with the Hague, but it can inflict a lot of damage on Serbia."
10. Cutaway of delegates
STORYLINE:
The Serbian Prime Minister on Monday insisted he was doing everything in his power to cooperate with the UN war crimes court in their efforts to find the fugitive Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic.
Kostunica's failure to arrest and hand over Mladic to the Hague to face charges of genocide related to the Bosnian war has led to an EU suspension of pre-membership talks with Serbia.
Speaking in Berlin, where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Kostunica said: "The problematic issue is the issue of General Ratko Mladic, and Serbia is doing everything in its power to resolve it."
Kostunica also urged EU members to understand the difficulties faced by Serbia, which is trying to push through reforms aimed at helping it join with its European neighbours, while at the same time fighting to keep both Montenegro and Kosovo from breaking away.
He insisted that Serbia and Montenegro, a lose union under which the two share only defence and foreign ministries, allowed them both to be stronger on an international front.
"Whichever way you look at it, whether economically, from a historical point of view, socially or from the point of view of security, it is better to preserve the mutual state," he said.
Montenegrins are to vote on May 21 whether to maintain the union or break off on their own.
Merkel and Kostunica did not speak to the press after their discussions and there was no comment from the chancellery on what the talks entailed.
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