By RIA Novosti
Belgrade : Serbia’s caretaker government Monday asked President Boris Tadic to dissolve parliament and call general elections, the cabinet’s press service said.
The move follows a standoff within the government over Kosovo and Serbia’s ties with the European Union (EU).
President Tadic earlier said he would agree to a request to dissolve parliament, and that elections would be held May 11.
The cabinet collapsed Saturday, when nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said he refused to govern alongside the Democratic Party, led by Tadic, over the party’s insistence on pursuing membership in the EU despite several EU states’ recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
The majority Albanian province declared its independence from Serbia on Feb 17.
Since then, 18 of the 27 EU states have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign country.
Russia, China, Spain, Cyprus and several other countries have refused to recognize the breakaway province’s independence.