Word: serbian
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When a group of men calling themselves Descendants of the Serbian Fighters From the 1912-20 Balkan Wars congregates for a ritual burning of the U.S. flag, most of the patrons of La Dolce Vita don't even bother to turn around. The morning sun is glorious on the terrace of the split-level bar overlooking the Ibar River, and the young men in black T-shirts are content to smoke their Marlboros and nurse their cokes, eyeing the more prosperous opposite bank of the river. They never cross the bridge, of course, because the Ibar marks the dividing line...
...West was poised for bad news from the May 11 parliamentary vote in Serbia, where often shrill nationalist tones dominated the final days of the campaign. Instead it got good news: the pro-European Democratic Party emerged victorious, defeating the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party and their allies. The Democrats, led by President Boris Tadic, won some 37% of the vote, or 103 out of 250 seats, which should enable Tadic to dominate Serbia's policies for the next several years. The Radicals came a distant second, with 77 seats, which works out at 29.1% while the Democratic Party of Serbia...
...most Serbian voters rejected the siren call of nationalism, despite their general frustration over the loss of Kosovo and despite Russia's open support for the nationalists. The negative campaigning by Kostunica and Seselj's deputy, Tomislav Nikolic, appeared to have backfired, triggering another victory for Tadic, who only narrowly defeated Nikolic at the presidential polls earlier this year. The E.U. also helped Tadic by signing a Stabilization and Association Agreement - a first step toward membership - with Serbia in late April and relaxing visa requirements, which effectively prevented ordinary Serbs from traveling to the West...
...ties with Russia. Kosovo's declaration of independence tipped the balance in favor of the nationalists. Some 60% of Serbs say they want to join the E.U., but that number drops below 45% if they are told the price of E.U. entry is the loss of Kosovo. The ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party - which once advocated union with Russia and Belarus, and is now tied for first place with a coalition of more pro-Western parties - could enter government alongside nationalist Prime Minister Kostunica's DSS. Russia's ex-President Vladimir Putin, who provided critical backing for Serbia in its fight...
...Boris Tadic, who publicly endorsed a "stabilization" agreement aimed at starting negotiations to join the E.U, has become the subject of a hate campaign. After the signing of the E.U. agreement, the nationalist tabloid Kurir carried a photo of Tadic and a colleague toasting the deal under the headline "Serbian Pigs Rejoice! They Gave Away Kosovo!" Tadic reportedly received a letter recently accusing him of "treason" and promising him "a bullet in the forehead." Authorities are taking the threat seriously: Zoran Djindjic, the reformist Serbian Prime Minister who helped topple Milosevic, was assassinated in March 2003. Even by Serbian standards...