SOLANA SAYS EU CONTINUES TO SUPPORT SERBIA-MONTENEGRO - AGENCY

BELGRADE, Feb 18 (Hina) - The EU High Commissioner for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, has said in a phone conversation with Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic the European Union continues to support the country, Beta news agency said on Wednesday citing EU sources in Brussels.#L# According to Solana, the EU maintains that Serbia needs a democratic government, committed to reforms and admission to the EU. He reiterated his previous claim that if supported by Slobodan Milosevic's Socialists, the Serbian government would encounter many difficulties in economic and political relations with the international community. The EU advocates the establishment of a government which shares the same values and sticks to the direction of the previous government, Beta quoted Solana as saying. According to announcements from Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), the Serbian government will be formed soon, with support from the Socialist Party of Serbia. Apart from the DSS, the new government should comprise Miroljub Labus' G17 Plus and the coalition of Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Revival Party and Velimir Ilic's New Serbia. Boris Tadic and Zoran Zivkovic's Democratic Party most likely will not enter the government but will also deny support to the minority government of likely Prime Minister Designate Kostunica. (Hina) ha sb