An agreement reached by Belgrade and Pristina on the management of checkpoints on the administrative line with Kosovo has boosted Belgrade's chances of getting the go-ahead for candidacy by the EU's foreign ministers at a Dec. 5 session in Brussels ahead of Dec. 9, when the 27-nation bloc's leaders will meet to settle the question.

According to European diplomatic officials in Brussels, Serbia's appraisal will rest on Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Germany in particular has been keen that results in the Belgrade-Pristina dialog be a condition for Serbia's status as a candidate in addition to the removal of roadblocks in northern Kosovo.

Another requirement is that the situation in Kosovo settle down by the end of next week, when the EU's presidents and prime ministers will make their final pronouncements.

Late on Dec. 2, immediately after the deal was struck, the EU's facilitator, Robert Cooper, notified the ambassadors of the EU in Brussels where they were discussing Serbia's candidacy, the still uncertain date of membership talks with Montenegro and developments in the Balkans.

Serbian President Boris Tadic's statements were applauded by the EU, particularily his explanation to Serbs in the troubled north of why it is time that they allow KFOR and EULEX to function freely.