Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said in Washington on Tuesday that the country's political stability was not threatened by the recent government reshuffle and opposition demands for early parliamentary elections.

The stability of the government is not threatened by the actions of the opposition because there is a solid parliamentary majority that supports the government, he said during his talks with representatives of U.S. companies, whom he called on to invest in Serbia.

December 2011, which part of the opposition insists to be the end date for holding parliamentary elections, is reserved, according to Cvetkovic, for something else - an essential step that Serbia should take in the process of European integration, which is obtaining the status of candidate for EU membership and the date of commencement of the related negotiations.

At the meeting, which was organized by Microsoft and U.S. Steel, Cvetkovic said that Serbia was now, totally unjustified, a hostage of the negative reputation it had acquired in the 90's of last century, adding that, formerly a factor of regional instability, Serbia had grown into a key factor of stability and cooperation in the Western Balkans.

Responding to questions, Cvetkovic explained that the major economic problems Serbia was facing were unemployment and inflation, which was largely a result of food prices growth.

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic informed the meeting's participants about Serbia's measures to improve its education system and level of technological development and to prevent brain drain.

In addition to Microsoft and U.S. Steel, the meeting was attended by representatives of companies PWC, NCR, Motorola, Los Alamos Technical Associates, Medtronic and other companies in the high-tech field, as well as by representatives of a number of business associations.

Cvetkovic also met with officials of USAID agency on Tuesday, thereby completing his several days' visit to Washington.