Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Steven Vanackere has stated that he will include the issue of Serbia's candidacy for the membership in the European Union in the agenda of the Council of Ministers, scheduled to be held in Luxembourg on October 25.

I have decided to include the issue of forwarding Serbia's application for the Union membership to the European Commission in the agenda of the EU General Affairs Council meeting to be held on October 25, Vanackere, whose country is holding the EU Presidency until the end of the year, said in a statement published by Vecernje Novosti on Friday.

Stating that it is not up to him to presume conclusions, Minister Vanackere underscored that the Belgian Presidency is doing everything possible to soon reach the necessary consensus among the member states, but that one should remain vigilant in regard to the sensibility of the member states, including The Netherlands.

Asked when Belgrade and Pristina would start negotiations and what would be the topics, the minister replied that he and Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme had clearly expressed their satisfaction with the constructive stand of the Serbian government at the United Nations during their meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic in New York in early September.

The resolution the U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus reflects a positive climate that enables us to hope that a constructive dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will take place for the first time in a long time, said Minister Vanackere.

The dialogue may take place in Brussels or somewhere else, which is not of essential importance, said the minister. Supervision should make sure the process is well prepared and all threats of contact blockade avoided, in order for the process to result in concrete measures that will improve the living conditions for the population as a whole, said Vanackere.