Serbian Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolic said that scheduling a vote for Dec. 18 was the last offer that his party had for the authorities, as the European Commission was poised to recommend Serbia for the status of a candidate nation in early October.

"Therefore, Dec. 18 is our final concession and unless there is a positive response and understanding of what Serbia needs, there will no longer be any need for us to talk - we will then try to resolve the situation in some other way," Nikolic told BETA, adding that this was not an ultimatum.

Over the past decade, according to Nikolic, the authorities blew every chance that they had, without scoring any good points for Serbia. "I think that this is reason enough for change and I think that the present ruling coalition will cease to exist after April 16," he said referring to the opposition's planned rally in Belgrade.

Nikolic also said that he and Democratic Party of Serbia leader Vojislav Kostunica had not discussed a coalition. He added that their last meeting had brought them closer, and that Kostunica had even confessed that his party favored joining the EU, but that it still had conditions regarding Kosovo and Metohija.